During a press conference on Monday, Isufaj stressed that this is a sensitive case which, according to him, requires care and prudence.

“The investigations in the cases related to the Jashari neighborhood and family will be finalized soon,” Isufaj said.

He added that the investigation is expected to conclude very soon, but did not provide further details beyond saying that the process is nearing its end. “The investigation will be completed very soon, then we will see. This investigation is very sensitive, very delicate, and requires prudence. We are simply doing that work. I cannot say anything more, except that the investigation is being concluded,” Isufaj said.

While presenting a summary of the Special Prosecutor’s Office’s work over the past year, he also highlighted two major operations related to war crimes.

“It is worth mentioning that this year two major operations related to war crimes have been carried out. In this regard, in the cases related to the Račak Massacre, five people have been arrested as suspects for war crimes. Likewise, five people have been arrested as suspects in the Syrigana case in Skenderaj,” Isufaj said.

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According to its statement, the issues currently under investigation are considered isolated cases and, as it says, do not reflect the work and professionalism of the majority of operators in this sector, who conduct their activities in accordance with the law and applicable standards.

The statement says: “The Kosovo Oil Traders Association remains committed to close cooperation with the competent institutions and supports every process that strengthens the rule of law, promotes fair competition and increases citizens’ trust in the oil market”.

Furthermore, the Association emphasizes that any possible violation should be addressed on the basis of facts and that responsibility should be individual, without being extended as a generalization over the entire sector.

At the same time, a large-scale police operation against organized crime, led by the Special Prosecution and the Directorate for the Investigation of Serious Crimes and Organized Crime in the Kosovo Police, with the assistance of Kosovo Customs and the Kosovo Tax Administration, led today to the arrest of 9 people.

By order of the Basic Court in Prishtina, searches were carried out at 21 locations during this operation.

This operation was conducted within the framework of investigative procedural actions, and after gathering information and securing evidence, there is suspicion that those arrested operated as a structured criminal group, submitting false tax documents and carrying out fictitious sales and transactions involving oil derivatives.

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In a response to Radio Free Europe (RFE), PIK said that, although it has not received any complaints, investigative procedures will begin ex officio.

During the Vidovdan event in Gazimestan, Kosovo Police detained 37 people. For 36 of them, the Basic Court in Prishtina has filed charges for “causing unrest and endangering public order and peace”, while the decision is expected to be announced on July 1. Meanwhile, one other person has been fined.

Lawyer Nikolla Todoroviq said the accused are mostly Serbs from Serbia and countries in the region, adding that their personal documents have been confiscated until the ruling is announced.

Every June 28, Serbs from Kosovo, Serbia and countries in the region traditionally gather in Gazimestan, near Prishtina, to commemorate the battle against the Ottoman Empire in 1389.

Following this case, allegations circulated publicly that some of those detained were subjected to physical and psychological mistreatment by some police officers, who, according to these claims, slapped them, beat them, insulted and humiliated them, and forced them to chant “Kosova Republikë”.

Radio Free Europe has not been able to independently verify these allegations.

The Ombudsperson Institution in Kosovo has also launched an ex officio investigation into this issue, requesting information from the responsible institutions to clarify all the circumstances of the case related to the detention of several dozen people in Gazimestan.

Likewise, Serbia’s Ombudsman, Zoran Pashaliq, has addressed Kosovo’s Ombudsperson, Naim Qelaj, requesting that, within his authority, he urgently conduct an investigation into all the circumstances surrounding the detention of a larger number of citizens of Serbian ethnicity after the Vidovdan commemoration in Gazimestan.

“The Ombudsman has asked Mr. Qelaj to determine whether, during the deprivation of liberty, detention and the initiation of misdemeanor proceedings, international standards for the protection of human rights were respected, including the right to liberty and security, the right to be informed of the reasons for deprivation of liberty, the right of access to counsel, the right to a fair trial, as well as the prohibition of discrimination on any grounds,” the statement said.

The same statement notes that, in relation to this case, Serbia’s Ombudsman has also contacted European Union institutions in Brussels, the embassies of the Quint countries, as well as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Prishtina.

There was also a reaction from the Diocese of Raška and Prizren of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which stressed that the allegations of physical and psychological mistreatment of the detained persons must be investigated.

“We call on the Ombudsperson, the Police Inspectorate, the competent judicial and prosecutorial authorities, as well as the international missions, especially the OSCE and EULEX [the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo], to ensure, in line with their mandates, a full, independent and professional verification of all the circumstances,” the Diocese said in its statement.

Serbia’s Government Office for Kosovo condemned the detentions carried out during the Vidovdan commemoration in Gazimestan, describing them as a “shameful and unacceptable act of repression”.

Gazimestan in Kosovo is also known for the speech delivered there in 1989 by then-Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević. This speech is often mentioned as a prelude to the armed conflicts that followed the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. / RFE

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