Kosovo’s border crossings with Serbia have become increasingly problematic for citizens of the Republic of Kosovo who use them for transit.
During this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo (MFAD) repeatedly urged Kosovo citizens to avoid traveling through Serbian territory, warning that “Serbia is no longer a territory that provides minimal safety for the physical and legal integrity of Kosovo citizens, particularly Albanians.”
Serbia’s territory is primarily used by citizens traveling to EU countries via Hungary, as well as by the diaspora visiting Kosovo.
According to Radio Free Europe, six Kosovo citizens were arrested by Serbian authorities this year, while there was also one reported case of kidnapping from Kosovo’s territory.
The MFAD did not respond to inquiries regarding the Kosovo citizens arrested in Serbia this year.
According to Serbian authorities, the detainees are suspected of “war crimes” or “acts against Serbia’s constitutional order.”
Arrests in Serbia (sources from MFAD):
- Arbnor Spahiu – Arrested in June for “serious murder” in Banjskë; released on November 21.
- Lulzim Halili – Arrested in July, accused of “war crimes”; remains in detention.
- Sasha Gjorgjeviq – Arrested in July under suspicion of “collaborating with Albania’s intelligence service (SHISH) through the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (AKI)”; remains in detention.
- Behar Preniqi – Arrested in August as a “suspected KLA member”; remains in detention.
- Hazir Haziri – Arrested in September under suspicion of “war crimes”; remains in detention.
- Avni Qenaj – Arrested in November for “war crimes”; Belgrade court issued one month pretrial detention.
- Millan Vukashinoviq – Allegedly kidnapped by Serbian gendarmerie in Leposaviq, northern Kosovo, on November 1.
On August 14, Serbian authorities reported detaining two other individuals, X.E. and B.E. (Xhemajl and Bashkim Emini), at the Horgosh border crossing between Serbia and Hungary under suspicion of committing “war crimes against the civilian population” as KLA members. They were released five days later.
Unclear Numbers and Legal Challenges
Kosovo lawyers cannot represent detainees in Serbia without Serbian licenses but collaborate with local attorneys.
Arianit Koci, involved in several cases, stated that official numbers are “relatively inaccurate.”
“There are cases where certain businessmen were detained on claims of war crimes and later released. They insisted these incidents not be publicized because they still need to travel through Serbia,” Koci told Radio Free Europe.
He also mentioned an ex-police officer detained for a few hours and released quietly.
“There are many such cases,” he said, adding that Serbia deliberately delays procedures.
“In Hazir Haziri’s case, witnesses have cleared him, but the prosecutor now seeks to check his 2025 phone for an incident from 1999. How is this possible?” Koci asked.
Haziri had previously traveled through Serbia dozens of times without being detained until September this year.
“Citizens are collateral damage. Individuals always suffer when two states have conflicts. Serbia appears to exploit this mechanism brutally,” Koci concluded.
