Serbia Detains Mentor Mustafa on Suspicion of War Crimes, Koci Calls for Institutional Response from Kosovo

Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs announced on Sunday, August 2, that a person with the initials M.M., born in 1981, had been arrested at the Horgoš border crossing on the border with Hungary. He is suspected of the criminal offense of “war crimes against the civilian population.”

In its statement, the Serbian Interior Ministry disclosed neither the detainee’s full identity nor his citizenship.

Serbian authorities allege that on July 26, 1999, in the Kosovo village of Kllobukar, the suspect “committed a war crime against two people with the initials T.S. and S.S.”

According to the Serbian side, the arrest was carried out by members of the War Crimes Investigation Service in coordination with the Anti-Terrorism Service and the Border Police.

The suspect has been ordered held for up to 48 hours. Once this period expires, he is expected to be referred, along with the criminal complaint, to Serbia’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for War Crimes.

Lawyer Arianit Koci said earlier in the day that the person detained by Serbian authorities was Kosovo citizen Mentor Mustafa.

In a statement to KosovaPress, Koci said Serbia carries out such arrests whenever investigations related to war crimes are underway in Kosovo.

Excavations were conducted last week in Kalludra e Vogël, Zubin Potok, at a location suspected of containing the remains of 23 intellectuals from Mitrovica who disappeared during the last war.

Koci said that, based on his many years of experience as a lawyer in cases of this nature, the actions of the Serbian authorities often follow significant developments related to war crimes investigations in Kosovo. According to him, this creates the impression that an attempt is being made to equate the crimes. He added that the arrest had taken place the previous evening, while he had been informed early in the morning, and that the case had since also been confirmed by the Serbian authorities. Koci stressed that the detention comes precisely at a time when important war crimes investigations are being conducted in Kosovo.

So far, Kosovo’s institutions have not released any information regarding Mentor Mustafa’s arrest.

Lawyer Koci called for greater engagement by Kosovo’s institutions, emphasizing the need for a swifter response and better coordination.