Serbia highlights severe human rights violations against Serbs and Non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija in Geneva

As part of the high-level segment of the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the United Nations in Geneva organized a side event titled “Serious Human Rights Violations Against Serbs and Other Non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija.”

The event was attended by State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nikola Stojanović, Assistant Minister for Multilateral Cooperation Katarina Lalić Smajević, Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petković, Director of the Coordination Body for Negotiations with Pristina Milan Ravić, Vice President of the Serbian List Dalibor Jevtić, as well as Marija and Dara Radosavljević from Doljane near Zvečan.

During the gathering, participants presented testimonies on the increasingly difficult situation faced by the Serbian community in the province, citing numerous instances of blatant human rights violations, physical violence, institutional discrimination, and breaches of agreements reached within the Brussels Dialogue. Particular concern was raised over the rising frequency of ethnically motivated incidents since Albin Kurti assumed power in Pristina.

A particularly moving testimony was shared by Marija and Dara Radosavljević, who recounted the brutal attack by the so-called Kosovo police on Dara and her underage brother Kristijan on June 17, 2023. They were assaulted without cause, marking yet another incident in a series of attacks on Serbian children in the province.

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petković, called on UN member states to take a more active role in protecting the Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija and urged the international community to take concrete measures to halt the persecution of Serbs and non-Albanians. He also emphasized the need for the UNMIK mission to fully exercise its mandate in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

In his remarks, Dalibor Jevtić highlighted the attack on Serbian boys Stefan and Miloš Stojanović in Gotovuša near Štrpce on Orthodox Christmas Eve in 2023, an incident for which no one has been held accountable to date.

The event in Geneva once again underscored the alarming situation of Serbs and other non-Albanian communities in Kosovo and Metohija and the urgent need for the international community to take decisive action to safeguard their fundamental human rights.