The Kosovo Government states that 10 members of the Kosovo Police were stopped in Serbia for questioning, including Deputy Director from the Serb community, Dejan Janković.
According to the announcement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, the officers, both Albanian and Serb, were stopped at border crossings Merdare, Jarinje, Dheu i Bardhë, and the border between Croatia and Serbia.
“5 have been released while 5 remain in custody, including Deputy Director Jankovic,” the announcement reads.
The police officers were not on official duty.
Belgrade has not reacted to this announcement.
Earlier, at least six buses from Kosovo were halted for hours by Serbian police at a border crossing with neighboring Croatia before being allowed to proceed, according to passengers.
Authorities in Kosovo on Wednesday urged citizens to avoid crossing into Serbian territory at all costs, stating that the Serbian state had blocked groups of Kosovo citizens at border crossings with Croatia and Hungary, returning from Western European countries to Kosovo.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs jointly urged citizens “to closely monitor the tense security situation and not to travel through Serbia.”
Additionally, all travelers have had their personal documents and those of the buses seized. Furthermore, some of them have been or continue to be questioned,” the statement from Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry said.
This ministry stated that it has notified the QUINT states, the European Union institutions, and other international institutions about this situation and hopes it will be resolved quickly.
However, Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, in a statement, dismissed the allegations of stopping buses from Kosovo.
“Border controls are being conducted to increase security, which may cause delays,” the statement said, emphasizing that all citizens from Kosovo are allowed unhindered entry into Serbia.
A European Union spokesperson told Voice of America that the current situation constitutes a violation of the freedom of movement agreement reached in the dialogue and called on Serbia “to refrain from such unilateral and uncoordinated actions and to immediately return to respecting the agreement.”
The blockade prompted reactions in Kosovo, with officials stating that this is a retaliatory action by Serbia following Tuesday’s vote in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that greenlighted Kosovo’s accession to this mechanism.
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani wrote on social media that Serbia is retaliating against citizens by holding them hostage at border points, intimidating them, confiscating documents, and depriving them of food. “One person is responsible for this: (Aleksandar) Vučić,” she wrote.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said through social media that the blocking of citizens at the border is “a serious violation of human rights.”
The European Parliament’s rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola Von Cramon, called on Serbia to stop what she called “shaming itself” and immediately allow Kosovo citizens to cross the border.
“Freedom of movement for all, without discrimination based on nationality, must be ensured,” Ms. Von Cramon wrote on social media.
Since last year, Serbia has recognized travel documents issued by Kosovo, although it has put up posters at border crossings stating that this does not imply recognition of its independence.
Serbia expressed disappointment on Tuesday with the vote in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that greenlit Kosovo’s accession to this mechanism. The vote opens the way for the final decision on Kosovo’s accession, which must be taken in May by the Council of Ministers of the 46 member states of the organization. Even at this stage, Kosovo must secure the votes of two-thirds of the participating member states.
The Assembly’s vote was welcomed by authorities in Kosovo, while officials in Serbia called it “a day of shame.” Belgrade has warned that it will continue to oppose Kosovo’s accession, although under the normalization agreement reached last year, the parties must not obstruct each other in the integration processes.