Serbian court orders 30 days of detention for Osman Selmani after arrest in Mutivodë

The High Court in Serbia has ordered 30 days of detention for Kosovo citizen Osman Selmani, who was arrested on July 1 by Serbian police while returning to his hometown.

According to a statement from Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Selmani was detained at the Mutivodë border crossing, which connects Kosovo and Serbia, on suspicion of war crimes.

Earlier, he was taken to the War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, where he is being held by Serbian authorities in connection with these suspicions.

In its statement, Serbia’s Interior Ministry said: “There are grounded suspicions that on 14.06.1999, in Sofali, Prishtina, acting jointly with several members of the KLA, using cold weapons and firearms, in a cruel and treacherous manner, he took the lives of Serbian civilians, the married couple Vlladimir and Persa Stanisavljeviq.”

However, the Serbian Interior Ministry’s statement did not specify whether the suspect had been part of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Osman Selmani’s family members have denied the accusations by Serbia’s Prosecutor’s Office, calling them untrue and unfounded.

In the family’s reaction, it says: “We believe in his innocence and will stand by him until the full truth is clarified. We trust that justice will prevail and the truth will come to light. We sincerely thank you for every support, prayer, and encouraging word in these difficult moments for our family.”

Earlier, the family had also announced: “Dear relatives, friends and colleagues,

We inform you that our father, Osman Selmani, was arrested on 01.07.2026 at the Mutivodë border crossing, while returning from his hometown. He is currently at the War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, facing accusations which we, as a family, consider unfounded and untrue.

We believe in his innocence and will stand by him until the full truth is clarified. We trust that justice will prevail and the truth will come to light.

We sincerely thank you for every support, prayer, and encouraging word in these difficult moments for our family.

In recent years, Serbia has continuously arrested Kosovo citizens, claiming their involvement in war crimes in Kosovo during 1998-’99.