Enkel Rexhepi, head of the Albanian National Council, has strongly condemned rising tensions following a fatal traffic accident that has sparked threats against an Albanian family in Surdulica.
The reaction comes two days after the death of Rastko Jović, a 40-year-old man who lost his life in a serious road accident. The incident triggered protests and strong public reactions, while reports indicate that an Albanian family has been subjected to threats and calls for expulsion.
Rexhepi warned that the tragic incident must not be manipulated to incite ethnic hatred or collective blame, stressing that such developments are linked to a broader political climate that has, over time, normalized the stigmatization and exclusion of Albanians.
“When institutions remain silent in the face of hate speech, it eventually turns into action,” Rexhepi stated.
He further emphasized that calls for deportation, the public release of personal data, and ethnic targeting stem from political narratives that often portray the Albanian community as a problem rather than as citizens with equal rights.
The Albanian National Council strongly condemned any attempt to transform a tragic event into a tool for ethnic hostility, insisting that responsibility for the accident must remain individual and not collective.
Rexhepi also expressed concern over what he described as a lack of adequate institutional response from authorities in Serbia, including the Minister for Human and Minority Rights, Demo Berisha. He stressed that the protection of human rights cannot be selective or dependent on ethnic background.
“Every citizen must be treated with respect and equal rights, regardless of national affiliation,” Rexhepi concluded.
