Kosovo Police Deny Serbian List’s Claims That a Serb Was Beaten, Case Referred to PIK for Investigation

The Serbian List’s allegations that police officers used violence against a Serbian citizen in the north of the country have been denied by Kosovo Police Lieutenant Erduan Baliqi. He said that the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo is already investigating the claims.

A Serbian citizen from northern Kosovo, identified in some reports as Nenad Raskoviq, has stated that he was assaulted and physically mistreated by members of the Kosovo Police. His claims have been circulated by media outlets in Belgrade and on the social media accounts of Serbian political figures, while the Serbian List has responded by accusing the police of using violence against him.

In a statement to KosovaPress, Baliqi said that the Kosovo Police had no information supporting the claims made by the person in question or by the Serbian List.

According to him, the police have no information indicating that force was used against anyone. However, at around 21:00 last night, the authorities received information that a person had sought medical treatment at Mitrovica Regional Hospital. The relevant police units went to the scene, and after the person’s claim that he had been beaten by the police was published in the media, the Police Inspectorate was immediately notified. PIK officials went to the scene and are handling the case, while the institution will investigate the claims made by the party, Baliqi stated.

The lieutenant also confirmed that the police had carried out operations in the northern part of the country during the evening. He explained that the Kosovo Police continually receive information about the possible presence of weapons at various locations.

Baliqi stressed to KosovaPress that the police had operated in the area, but had no information that police officers had used force against anyone. According to him, information about possible weapons cannot be disregarded, and the police are obliged to verify it.

In recent days, the Kosovo Police have conducted operations in the Zubin Potok region. Based on published information, weapons were discovered and seized at various locations during these operations.

Serbian media have reported that Raskoviq claims the police wrongfully demanded that he hand over a weapon. The police searches, meanwhile, were conducted on the basis of information about weapons that may have been hidden.

It has also been claimed that there was information about weapons possession in Raskoviq’s case and that there were suspicions of undeclared weapons dating back to the wartime period. Several other claims, which have yet to be officially confirmed, also link the matter to suspicions about weapons that may be connected to war crimes committed in the region.

These developments come at a time when excavations have been carried out in the Kalludra area of Zubin Potok as part of the search for the remains of people killed during the 1998–1999 war. It is suspected that a mass grave may be located in the area.

The Kosovo Police operations in the Zubin Potok region in recent days have included searches and actions based on information about possible weapons hidden in various areas.

In several public statements, the claims concerning Raskoviq’s case have also been linked to recent security developments in the north, as well as to the operations the police are conducting in this part of the country.

So far, there has been no official conclusion confirming or disproving the claim that members of the Kosovo Police used violence against the citizen.

The Police Inspectorate’s investigation is expected to determine the circumstances of the incident and clarify whether force was used against the person in question during the police operation.