On Sunday, Nenad Ra\u0161i\u0107, the Minister for Communities and Returns in the Kosovo Government, issued a strong call to what he referred to as Serbia\u2019s radical regime to release Nikola Radimirovi\u0107, the newly appointed director of Leposavic Municipality. Radimirovi\u0107 was arrested on September 9 and is currently being held in Ra\u0161ka, southwestern Serbia.<\/p>\n
Kosovo\u2019s Minister of Defense Xhelal Sve\u00e7la announced on Saturday that Radimirovi\u0107, a Serbian politician from Kosovo, was arrested along with his fianc\u00e9e.<\/p>\n
Nikola Radimirovi\u0107 is the son of Radoica Radimirovi\u0107, who serves as the Deputy Minister for Communities and Returns in the Kosovo Government.<\/p>\n
Ra\u0161i\u0107 stated during a press conference in Pristina on September 10 that \u201cthe reason behind Nikola\u2019s arrest is the pressure on Radoica\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI firmly believe this is part of their blackmail strategy,\u201d Ra\u0161i\u0107 emphasized.<\/p>\n
Radimirovi\u0107 was appointed as the director of the Administration of Leposavic Municipality following the April elections in four Serbian-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo, where Albanian mayors were elected. These elections were boycotted and opposed by the Serbian community, resulting in heightened tensions.<\/p>\n
Ra\u0161i\u0107 characterized the situation as \u201cextremely distressing\u201d, adding, \u201cThis is a tactic that has been in use for the past 7-8 years, and when I say years, it has personally affected me for that long. Every time I\u2019ve attempted to cross the border, I\u2019ve been detained by Serbian police for several hours. Typically, my visits to Serbia are for family purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ra\u0161i\u0107 disclosed that Radimirovi\u0107 was held at the border checkpoint in Leposavic for over eight hours before being transported to a police station in Ra\u0161ka, where he awaits preliminary court proceedings.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was subjected to questioning by individuals identifying themselves as members of Serbia\u2019s Security and Intelligence Agency (BIA). According to information received, he is expected to remain in custody there until at least Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ra\u0161i\u0107 accused the Serbian Government of seeking to exert control over Serbian politicians in Kosovo through pressure and blackmail.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have reached a point where anyone who holds views contrary to the radical and extreme regime currently in power in Belgrade has become a target of hostile and inhumane actions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ra\u0161i\u0107 was appointed as the Minister for Communities and Returns by Kosovo\u2019s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, following the resignation of Goran Raki\u0107 and other Serbs from northern Kosovo in November of the previous year.<\/p>\n
Goran Raki\u0107 was associated with the Serb List, the sole party with Belgrade\u2019s support that participated in Kosovo\u2019s institutions.<\/p>\n
Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 used derogatory language to describe Ra\u0161i\u0107 after he assumed the role of minister in Kurti\u2019s Government.<\/p>\n
Radimirovi\u0107\u2019s arrest comes less than a week before the resumption of high-level dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade in Brussels.<\/p>\n
Minister Sve\u00e7la urged Serbia to halt the pressure and \u201cunlawful actions against Kosovo citizens, particularly those of Serbian ethnicity who are loyal to their state, the Republic of Kosovo, and who serve all its citizens\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Sunday, Nenad Ra\u0161i\u0107, the Minister for Communities and Returns in the Kosovo Government, issued a strong call to what he referred to as Serbia\u2019s radical regime to release Nikola Radimirovi\u0107, the newly appointed director of Leposavic Municipality. Radimirovi\u0107 was arrested on September 9 and is currently being held in Ra\u0161ka, southwestern Serbia. Kosovo\u2019s Minister […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":52326,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[250],"tags":[243,151,2911,2203,4172,301],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n