Thread by @Aco_Sfens

A bit longer thread 🧵 on the Kosovo Police Special Units in the North, and why Kosovo Serbs in the North see their presence as physical pressure rather than "protection" 1/18

This is Besart Ahmeti, Commander of Kosovo Police Special Units, endorsing a comment where K-Serbs are called by an ethnic slur (Shkije).

The comment says: "You are the strongest in the state. Respect, don't lose the grip over Shkije."

Ahmeti liked it and replied: "🙏"

2/18

Besart Ahmeti is a decorated officer from the highest instances, and a Chief Commander of the heavily armed police units present in the North for over a year now. 3/18

Most of our citizens who got arrested in the past month reported later they were insulted on ethnic grounds by KP officers after arrests.

On 26 May, I was also beaten and insulted on ethnic grounds by a police officer, who I later reported to the Police Inspectorate. 4/18

This is the police officer who was beating me and cursing that he will "f*** [my] Serbian mother". 5/18

Apart from ethnic-based insults and intimidation, our citizens who got detained also reported torture after they were arrested.

@EULEXKosovo confirmed that today to the media. 6/18
kossev.info/eulex-obisli-s…

One grave example is the case of our citizen Nenad Orlović, who got tortured in detention center and filmed by a police officer. 7/18

Meanwhile, we also had Kosovo police officers desecrating Serbian identity symbols and posting these videos on TikTok, which is in violation with Kosovo's legislation and code of conduct. 8/18 https://t.co/q2BZDhYTUttwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

A bit more professionalism from Kosovo Police when they tried to prevent me from recording a public space two weeks ago on the grounds of policeman's "personal law." 9/18
https://t.co/KuGiDalWwM

https://twitter.com/Aco_Sfens/status/1670541379506778123?t=zH1KbVklLDef542ODuC8Og&s=19

Still, it ended with a verbal warning in my case. I could have been on gunpoint for filming the police, as one of our fellow citizens was two nights ago in North Mitrovica. 10/18
https://t.co/ac2Jz0Qlti

https://twitter.com/Aco_Sfens/status/1674178435546066946?t=zH1KbVklLDef542ODuC8Og&s=19

All this mentioned above is just a culmination of 18 months long tensions between Kosovo Police Special Units and Kosovo Serbs.
11/18

So, for everyone saying "Yes, but Serbian policemen resigned and someone has to police" -

The reason why Serb policemen resigned is precisely because these units deployed as second layer of police to the Brussels-brokered Regional Directorate North in beginning of 2022.
12/18

Apart from sidelining competences of Reg. Dir. North, the deployment of Alb-majority police units was illegal in terms of their ethnic composition and in direct violation of articles 61 & 128.4 of Kosovo's Constitution as well as article 9 of the 2013 Brussels Agreement.
13/18

As a proof of their preceding presence, citizens complained of the harassment by these units for months.

This article is from the end of October 2022, while Serb policemen resigned on 5 November 2022.
14/18
kossev.info/zp-locals-comp…

To further elaborate - on 26 February 2022 (coincidentally?!), the Government of Kosovo started with these securitization activities in the North when they placed first concrete blocks for the police base in Zubin Potok.
15/18
https://t.co/MIdUKQjeLMdanas.rs/vesti/drustvo/…

Since then, 6 more militarized police bases were built, expropriating private land of K-Serbs by violating all legal procedures. Even @StateDept 2022 Human Rights report addressed the issue.
16/18

On top of all this - 5 K-Serbs were shot at & wounded only this year by Kosovo security structures.

One case: Korab Pepaj was policeman who shot on Milan Jovanović in April 22. KP initially denied the shooting, then detained Pepaj, and later released him to house arrest.

17/18

THIS is the key reason why K-Serbs boycotted recent local elections. Noone wants to legitimize such institutional system.

This is a post-conflict society. That is why even Ahtisaari was so sensitive about police when drafting his plan.

Give us our police autonomy back!

18/18