Albanian MP Šaip Kamberi has raised concerns over what he describes as systematic pressure and discrimination against Albanian members of the Serbian police in Bujanoc and Presheva, questioning why their representation in the security institution has continued to decline.
In a statement on Facebook, Kamberi said Albanians had not been recruited into the Serbian police for more than a decade, arguing that the trend was undermining the institutional integration of the Albanian community in the Preševo Valley.
According to Kamberi, pressure on Albanian police officers has come not only from authorities in Belgrade but, more recently, from certain opposition representatives as well.
“What is bringing the authorities and part of the opposition in Belgrade together is a common approach: pressure and discrimination against Albanians,” Kamberi wrote.
He also criticized what he described as inflammatory language and accusations directed at Albanian police officers, stressing that their integration into Serbia’s police force began in 2001 as part of a political agreement facilitated by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The agreement was intended to promote fair representation and equal opportunities for Albanians within Serbia’s security institutions.
Kamberi argued that, instead of increasing and consolidating Albanian representation in the police, their numbers have steadily declined.
He called on the relevant Serbian institutions to explain why Albanians have not been recruited for more than a decade and why the community’s representation in the police continues to decrease.
“Albanians will not accept for their institutional representation to become an object of political bargaining in Belgrade,” Kamberi said.
The MP also questioned whether the relatively small number of Albanian police officers still serving in Bujanoc and Presheva is itself being viewed as excessive by the Serbian authorities and parts of the opposition.
Kamberi’s remarks come amid broader concerns over the implementation of mechanisms designed to ensure proportional representation of Albanians in public institutions in the Preševo Valley, an area where the Albanian community has long raised concerns over discrimination and underrepresentation.
