Prominent lawyer Arianit Koci has strongly reacted to the arrest of former Kosovo police officer Arbnor Spahiu in Serbia, calling for immediate and concrete measures against Belgrade. Koci asserts that while the “terrorists” responsible for the murder of police officer Afrim Bunjaku in Banjska are free in Serbia, Kosovo’s police and former officers are being persecuted.
In a Facebook post, Koci stated: “Radoičić and other terrorists who attacked the village of Banjska and killed police officer Afrim Bunjaku – free in Serbia. The police officers who stopped the attack – wanted! Instead of arresting the organizers of the attack, Serbia is persecuting Kosovo’s police and ex-police officers. It is targeting people who upheld Kosovo’s legal order and saved lives – of both Albanians and Serbs – from terrorist activities. As is evident, Serbia is not seeking justice. It is engaging in political revenge. And it is doing so openly.“
“Political Kidnapping” and Institutional “Submission”
Koci further described the arrest of Arbnor Spahiu as a “political kidnapping.”
“The latest case – the detention of citizen, former police officer Arbnor Spahiu – has nothing to do with any legal procedure. It is a political kidnapping, carried out by a state behaving as an enemy. There is no evidence. No legal basis. There is only one message being forcefully sent: Whoever defends Kosovo will be punished,” Koci continued.
He also criticized Kosovo’s institutions for their perceived lack of a serious response. “And how does Kosovo respond to this? With a single statement: ‘Avoid crossing through Serbia.’ That’s all. No concrete measures. No serious reaction. No signal that the state is defending its citizens. This is not defense. It is not diplomacy. It is institutional submission,” he argued.
Call for Suspension of Ties
Koci advocated for a swift halt to cooperation when a state detains citizens without legal basis and targets statehood. “Therefore, immediate suspension of: land lines; diplomatic communication; technical agreements should be considered. Because there is no normal neighborhood when police officers who protected order are persecuted, and terrorists are free. When Kosovar citizens are persecuted,” Koci affirmed.
Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora (MPJD) has expressed deep concern over the intensification of arbitrary detentions and arrests of Kosovo citizens by Serbian authorities. The MPJD has warned all citizens, including those in the diaspora planning to travel to Kosovo, to avoid crossing through border points with Serbia and to use alternative routes.
The Ministry cited Spahiu’s recent detention at the border crossing between Serbia and Hungary as “further evidence of Serbia’s unacceptable and destructive practices,” which they say contradict international law and basic human rights standards.
