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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