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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Violence against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija reaches alarming level

Belgrade/New York, 30 October 2024

Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić stated today at a session of the United Nations Security Council that the violation of human rights and the unilateral moves of the regime of prime minister of the provisional Priština institutions Albin Kurti create a climate of fear and instability in Kosovo and Metohija.

At the session of the UN Security Council convened to discuss the six-month report of UN Secretary General António Guterres on UNMIK, Đurić pointed out that the violence against Serbs in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija has escalated and reached an alarming level.

He stated that in 2024 alone, more than 90 attacks have been specifically aimed at Serb individuals and property, and that none of the perpetrators have faced justice.

Đurić pointed out that Priština's refusal to respect the Brussels Agreement, which calls for the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities, deprived Serbs of even basic legal protection.

The Minister assessed that this not only represents a rejection of the obligations assumed with the mediation of the European Union, but also a direct insult to this council and the authority of the international community.

If the agreements that were signed can be rejected and ridiculed, what basis do we have for trust and dialogue, asked Đurić and added that the police patrols and provocative marches of the Priština armed forces have increased fear in Serbian areas.

He emphasised that the number of ethnically motivated attacks has increased by 50% since Albin Kurti took office and that 434 incidents have been recorded in the last two and a half years.

Armed policemen raided Serb institutions, attacked unarmed civilians and even injured children, he said. Đurić also noted that, unfortunately, there has even been an increase in the number of reported cases of sexual assaults on Serb women, sometimes by the so-called Kosovo security officials, without due process.

Đurić assessed that all this is part of a systemic campaign aimed at intimidating the already deeply shaken Serb community.

He recalled that last year, the 11-year-old boy Stefan Stojanović, together with his 21-year-old brother, was shot by a member of the so-called Kosovo security forces on Christmas Eve, and that the attacker Azem Kurtaj was de facto amnestied and is completely free to this day.