Four citizens of Kosovo are still being held in detention in Serbia: two ethnic Albanians under allegations of war crimes, and two Serbs accused of espionage.
Lulzim Halili has been in detention since July 2025. He was arrested despite having lived in Serbia for a long time and working in construction. Alongside him, Behar Preniqi has also been in detention since August of last year.
Sources within Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told KOHA that Serbia has not allowed officials from the Kosovo Liaison Office in Serbia to visit Sasha Gjorgjeviq, who was arrested in July 2025, nor Milan Vukanshinoviq, who has been in detention since November after being allegedly abducted by unknown persons in the village of Jellakcë in Kosovo and taken to Serbian territory.
The Liaison Office of the Republic of Kosovo confirmed that it has requested permission to visit the detainees, but in several cases these visits have been denied.
“In these cases, continuous actions have been undertaken to ensure respect for their rights, including the right to visits. Where obstacles have been encountered, they have been addressed through official diplomatic channels,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora said in its response.
Regarding the obstruction of visits and the treatment of Kosovo citizens in detention, the Ministry has also raised the issue with international partners.
“The issue of the treatment of citizens of the Republic of Kosovo in detention in Serbia has been consistently raised in communications with international partners and relevant mechanisms, with the aim of ensuring the protection of their rights in accordance with international standards,” the MPJD added.
Last month, Mit’hat Llozhani was released from detention. He is among many Albanians who were arrested while travelling through Serbia en route to EU countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly called on Kosovo citizens not to travel through Serbian territory, citing arbitrary arrests and detentions in violation of human rights.
