Ozkan Ulutash, commander of KFOR, held a meeting at KFOR Headquarters with the leader of the Serbian List, Zlatan Elek, at the latter’s request.

Also present at the meeting were Serbian List Deputy Leader Igor Simiq, MP Jovana Radosavljeviq, and the mayor of North Mitrovica, Milan Radojeviq. The discussions focused on the security situation in northern Kosovo, as well as the process under way to optimize KFOR’s presence.

KFOR said that Ulutash linked the launch of this process to the improvement of the security situation in Kosovo.

The commander explained that the optimization would be implemented step by step, based on conditions on the ground. According to him, the process could be reversed if the relevant developments jeopardize sustainable security in Kosovo or regional stability. He also emphasized that KFOR would continue to be fully equipped and appropriately positioned to respond to any relevant development, in line with its longstanding UN mandate.

The protection of Deçan Monastery was also discussed during the talks.

Ulutash emphasized that KFOR continues to be the first responder for the security of Deçan Monastery and remains committed to protecting it. He said that the gradual relocation of KFOR’s presence from the main bridge in Mitrovica is still in its initial phase. Once this process is completed, KFOR will maintain a strong presence in North Mitrovica and northern Kosovo, for the benefit of all communities, the statement said.

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Five Serbian List officials are expected to move next week from their political duties and local institutions to the defendants’ dock. On Thursday, August 13, Igor Simiq, Ivan Zaporosaq, Ivan Todosijeviq, Zoran Todiq and Vasilije Tomaseviq will appear as defendants before the Basic Prosecution Office in North Mitrovica.

All five have held political positions in the country over the years and are now under investigation for the criminal offense of “Forgery of Documents.”

No further details have been officially disclosed, apart from the fact that they have been summoned as defendants. However, RTK has learned that the criminal proceedings are linked to the operation of parallel Serbian municipalities and the documents issued by them—institutions that Kosovo authorities finally closed during police operations.

The investigation also includes the officials’ earlier refusal to hand over the offices of the four municipalities in the north.

The case has taken on particular institutional significance because of Igor Simiq, who is currently an active member of the Kosovo Assembly and is at the center of attention in this process.

“Unfortunately, in Kosovo politics, people who are under investigation or indictment do not resign, at least for moral or ethical reasons. The same should have been done by this member of parliament…,” said Naim Jakaj, a senior researcher at the Kosovo Law Institute.

The Serbian List, the main political force representing Serbs in Kosovo, has enjoyed strong support from official Belgrade for years. For this reason, the issue goes beyond the officials’ legal status and also involves the influence this party may exert on political and security developments in Kosovo.

The current confrontation with the justice system follows a long period of tensions and clashes. The Serbian List’s actions have been under constant scrutiny, particularly during tense situations in the north of the country.

According to security experts, the party continues to operate outside Kosovo’s constitutional framework, following direct instructions from official Belgrade and maintaining a destructive approach.

“Serbia is 100% focused on the Serbian List as a direct crutch. It should have been the complete opposite because they are citizens of the republic and members of parliament, and they should represent Kosovo’s interests. They do not serve Kosovo’s interests, and their approach in 2026 remains destructive,” said Arben Dashevci, a security expert.

At various stages, the Serbian List’s positions have influenced the country’s political developments, particularly through boycotts of local institutions. Beyond the political rhetoric, this process is seen as an important test of the justice system’s ability to fully extend the rule of law.

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The Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Mitrovica has confirmed that five representatives of the Serbian List will be questioned on August 13 as defendants.

Igor Simiq, Ivan Zaporozhac, Ivan Todosijeviq, Zoran Todiq and Vasilije Tomasheviq have received summonses to give statements regarding suspicions of the criminal offense of “Document Forgery.”

The news was confirmed to Klankosova.tv by Valon Preteni, spokesperson for the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Mitrovica.

“We can confirm that five (5) people have been summoned for questioning as defendants in connection with the criminal offense of ‘Document Forgery.’ The case is under investigation,” Preteni said.

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Igor Simiq, Ivan Zaporozhac, Ivan Todosijeviq, Zoran Todiq and Vasilije Tomasheviq, representatives of the Serbian List, have been summoned by the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Mitrovica to give statements on August 13 as defendants.

According to the Serbian List, they are suspected of falsifying documents. The political party claims that the prosecution is linked to the fact that they headed Serbian institutions that are not recognized by Pristina, KP reports.

The case concerns their refusal to hand over the offices of the four northern municipalities, an incident that occurred three years ago.

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The Serbian List has petitioned the Constitutional Court to challenge Supreme Court judgment AA.no.29/2026. The appeal was filed just three days before the constitutional deadline for constituting the Assembly and two days before the continuation of the constitutive session, scheduled for August 6.

At the center of the dispute is Nenad Rashiq’s mandate in the Kosovo Assembly. According to the Serbian List, the mechanism of seats reserved for the Serb community has not been functionally protected, while the representatives of this community should be determined solely through the votes of its members.

The Serbian political party has stated that the purpose of the appeal is not to protect one party or a single mandate in the Assembly. The Serbian List claims that the petition aims to guarantee the constitutional right of the Serb people and other non-majority communities to authentic political representation, which it describes as one of the fundamental principles of their constitutional status in Kosovo.

The Serbian List believes that the Central Election Commission, the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel, and the Supreme Court failed to address the constitutional substance of the matter. According to the party, it must be clarified whether the purpose of the seats reserved for the Serb community is preserved when voters who do not belong to that community influence the election of its representatives.

Following the June elections, the Serbian List initially took the case to the ECAP and subsequently to the Supreme Court. It claimed that Nenad Rashiq’s party, ZSPO, had received a considerable number of votes in municipalities where, based on the 2024 population census, the Serb community is virtually nonexistent. The appeals were rejected by both bodies.

The CEC found that the claims presented did not provide legal grounds to call into question the validity of the votes or the election result. The ECAP also deemed the appeal unfounded, emphasizing that voting is based on equality and secrecy. To avoid undermining these principles, the voter list does not include information about ethnic affiliation.

Of the ten seats reserved for the Serb community in the June elections, nine were won by the Serbian List, while the tenth mandate went to Nenad Rashiq.

If the Assembly is not constituted by August 7, the constitutional process will enter the stage of electing the country’s president. The Constitution sets a 60-day deadline for the election of the head of state. Failure to elect the president within this period would send Kosovo to new elections once again.

Commentator Gani Mehmeti has reacted to the Serbian List’s move. In a statement to “Bota sot,” he said that the party is abusing the guarantee of seats reserved for Serbs and other minorities in Kosovo and is not acting in the interests of the Serb community.

Mehmeti asked the Serbian List whether it would have challenged the votes if Albanians had cast them for the party, or whether it would have accepted them without complaint.

According to him, the seats guaranteed to Serbs and other communities were not created to be used to fight the Republic of Kosovo. He accused the Serbian List of acting under Belgrade’s influence instead of looking after the welfare of Kosovo Serbs and, together with Vuçiq, using every means available against the state of Kosovo.

The commentator stated that, regardless of Vuçiq’s position toward Kosovo, the Serbian List must recognize Kosovo’s reality and act in accordance with the country’s Constitution and laws. According to Mehmeti, only support for Kosovo’s independence would give the party the moral right to demand guaranteed seats and participation in the Government of Kosovo, as provided for by law and the Constitution. He added that not only Serbian List representatives, but also Albanians who do not act properly and in accordance with the law, should be excluded.

Speaking about the appeal, Mehmeti recalled that the vote is free and secret, meaning that every citizen may cast it for the political party they consider appropriate. He viewed positively the possibility that some Albanians may have voted for a Serbian party that supports Kosovo’s independence and respects its Constitution and laws.

Mehmeti asked why the Serbian List had not previously complained about rights which, according to him, exceed what it is entitled to. He mentioned the ten reserved seats, saying that this is a large number in relation to the approximately 50,000-60,000 Serbs living in Kosovo. According to him, one cannot seek cooperation with a state while simultaneously refusing to recognize it.

The commentator emphasized that nowhere is it stipulated which candidate or party a citizen has the right to vote for, nor whom they must not support. For this reason, each voter decides whether to vote and whom to vote for.

He added that, after the Serbian List raised this issue, even more Albanians may vote for Serbian representatives in the next elections. Mehmeti remarked ironically that the issue had reminded voters—and taught them—that they could also act in this way.

He predicted that, as long as the Serbian List remains under Vuçiq’s direction, it will fail to win more than three seats in the next elections.

Mehmeti rejected the Serbian List’s claim that the election and judicial institutions had failed to constitutionally protect the system of seats reserved for non-majority communities. He said that these institutions had not assumed responsibility for guaranteeing this party’s position, particularly when it acts against the Republic of Kosovo.

Referring to the attack in Banjska, the commentator stated that the judicial institutions should have condemned the Serbian List as a terrorist party following that event.

In conclusion, Mehmeti also commented on the request for the Constitutional Court to determine whether the purpose of the reserved mandates is respected when voters from outside the Serb community influence the election of its representatives. According to him, the Constitutional Court should prohibit the Serbian List from operating as a political party, while only parties that respect the laws, the Constitution, and the Republic of Kosovo should be allowed to participate in elections.

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In an interview with Radio Belgrade on the topic “The Position of the Serbian People in Kosovo”, Simiq also levelled accusations at the Minister for Communities and Return, Nenad Rashiq. According to him, Rashiq secured support mainly from Albanian voters rather than from the Serbian community, KosovaPress reports.

He stated that Rashiq had received a large number of votes in municipalities where, according to his claim, no Serbs live, portraying this as electoral manipulation. However, Simiq provided no concrete evidence for the claims that the process had been manipulated or that the mandate had been “stolen”.

Elections in Kosovo are administered by the Central Election Commission, while results are certified following legal procedures and the handling of complaints by the competent bodies. So far, no court or institutional decision has found any manipulation of the mandate won by Rashiq. The Serbian List, meanwhile, has also secured votes in the municipalities where Rashiq received votes.

Most of Simiq’s statements focused on Prime Minister Albin Kurti, whom he accused of “nationalism”, “discrimination against Serbs” and “apartheid”. He also claimed that more than a thousand attacks against Serbs and arbitrary arrests had been recorded during Kurti’s term, but did not provide sources or documents to support these figures and accusations. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has addressed Serbian citizens living in Kosovo several times in Serbian, with the aim of avoiding disinformation, but Simiq implied that this did not matter to him.

Simiq also criticised the reaction of the international community, claiming that the European Union and international partners are remaining silent over what he described as “violations of the rights of Serbs in Kosovo”.

During the interview, he called Rashiq “Kurti’s Serb” and accused him of supporting Kosovo Government decisions which, according to him, harmed the interests of the Serbian community. He mentioned expropriations in the north, the lack of opposition to cabinet decisions, support for integrating Serbian institutions into Kosovo’s system, and Rashiq’s positions against the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.

According to Simiq, Rashiq cannot have the support of Serbs because he was Kurti’s minister when, he claimed, the “seizure” and exploitation of land in the north was voted through. He called this the “classic theft” of Serb land in Zubin Potok and Leposaviq for the construction of police bases and special units, saying that police bases had been set up on these lands, occupied mainly by Albanians with long-barrelled weapons and armoured vehicles.

He also reiterated the Serbian List’s longstanding position that Serbia’s financial and institutional assistance is essential for the survival of the Serbian community in Kosovo. Simiq stressed that Belgrade continues to finance education, healthcare and payments for some Serbian citizens in Kosovo.

Simiq stated that Serbia helps families with three children and those in severe social hardship with school textbooks. He claimed that these textbooks are smuggled in because, according to him, Prishtina does not allow any Cyrillic textbooks to enter. According to him, Serbs in Kosovo know their identity and affiliation, and without Belgrade and Serbia there would be no Serbs in Kosovo. He added that Belgrade is the capital for all Serbs in Kosovo and that this, according to him, has been, is and will remain the case.

Defending the Serbian List, Simiq stated that his party has the overwhelming support of Serbs in Kosovo. He denied accusations that the party pressures voters or manipulates the electoral process.

Kosovo institutions, meanwhile, have repeatedly stated that elections are held in accordance with the legislation in force and are monitored by domestic and international observation missions. Their reports have not identified any manipulation that could affect the election result or the allocation of mandates.

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