Appeal for Peace
Deeply concerned about the repressive and aggressive measures taken by the Government of Kosovo and the behavior of special police forces in the north of Kosovo that has the potential to escalate to unfathomable consequences for citizens’ peace and security, and to destroy long-term prospects for reconciliation and co-existence between Albanians and Serbs in this area;
Condemning all forms of violence committed against citizens, journalists and members of security forces over the course of recent events, and underlining that political problems cannot and must not be solved through police actions but rather through constructive means and at the dialogue table;
Having in mind lessons learned from history that an institutional apparatus under the control of a single ethnic community cannot and must not govern the lives of other ethnic groups, because democracy in post-conflict and multi-ethnic societies demands a just division of power and competencies, as well as the respect of human rights and freedoms. It certainly does not entail aggressive behavior by security structures and public bodies controlled by the majority community towards ethnic minorities;
Underlining that co-existence between Albanians and Serbs can be built solely upon a foundation of trust and mutual respect, and not by repression, violence and dehumanization, to which the Serb community is subjected to on a daily basis, starting from statements made by high-ranking officials down to media reporting and negative social media campaigns;
Calling attention to the fact that Serbs in Kosovo, both as a community as well as its members, are daily exposed to attempts at delegitimization, dehumanization, finger-pointing, and criminalization. This occurs both during government officials’ public appearances as well during meetings with international representatives, where the legitimate stances of the Kosovo Serb community are presented as being instrumentalized by the Government of Serbia, thereby attempting to discredit them in the eyes of international partners and the public;
Stressing that democracy is not built with elections held in mobile containers, or with those who hold public office yet have no popular legitimacy, but nevertheless intend to govern citizens belonging to other ethnic communities, with the power of the gun and police repression;
Underscoring that good governance and rule of law are not one in the same; while rule of law can be addressed by artificial intelligence, good governance is far more complex and delicate process that requires a talent for leadership;
Having in mind that the Government of Kosovo and its institutions violate the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the Serb community on a daily basis, fail to implement decisions handed down by the Constitutional Court, or fulfill its obligations undertaken during the dialogue process with Serbia;
Reaffirming not only our commitment to lead a dignified life in this area, to co-existence and mutual respect with Albanians and other ethnic communities, but also in our pride in ourselves, our history, our church, and cultural and religious heritage;
Wanting to believe in the sincerity of the statements made by representatives of the international community, especially those from the European Union and the Quint when they emphasize their support for multi-ethnicity and peaceful co-existence between ethnic communities in Kosovo;
We, the undersigned, members of the Serb community from all regions of Kosovo, are united in the demands that we are delivering to representatives of the European Union, United States of America, Germany, France, Italy, and Great Britain. We are directing our demands to them because we believe that they are the only actors that are capable of maintaining peace in Kosovo, and in applying pressure to the Government of Albin Kurti to carry out the measures outlined below, which are necessary for ensuring peace and creating the conditions for the implementation of the recently reached Agreement on Normalization:
- The withdrawal of all special police units from the north of Kosovo since their presence is in violation of Articles 128 and 61 of the Constitution of Kosovo and Article 9 of the Brussels Agreement signed in 2013. The behavior of the police generates fear and disturbance among the local population. The absence of an adequate reaction to their deployment in the north at violently and unjustifiably confiscated land, conveyed a negative message that the militarization of this area is allowed.
- For the political representatives of Kosovo Albanians, who have no democratic legitimacy to represent local communities here, to leave municipal and other public buildings in administrative centers in the north of Kosovo. Furthermore, we demand that current employees of local administrations be allowed unhindered access to their offices until the holding of new elections.
- For the deployment of KFOR and EULEX units in the north of Kosovo in the goal of maintaining peace until the unconditional return of local Serbs to the police, which must also include strong guarantees for the respect of the Regional Police Directorate’s -North unique competencies which are defined by the Brussels Agreement, and which have been eroded by decisions issued by the Government of Kosovo starting from the end of 2021;
- The implementation of Article 7 of the Agreement on Normalization that guarantees the right to self-management of Serb communities in Kosovo and that formalizes the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church;
- The formation of the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities in accordance with the Brussels Agreement signed in 2013 and the Basic Principles for the formation of Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities in 2015;
- After adapting the legal framework for the formation of the Association, the holding of democratic elections in municipalities in northern Kosovo and the establishment of conditions for the unhindered and unconditional return of Serbs to institutions;
- The implementation of the decision reached by the Constitutional Court in May of 2016 confirming the Visoki Dečani Monastery’s ownership of 24 hectares of land;
- The resolution of all cases of attacks against Serbs and their property, including the illegal expropriation of land and recent incidents during which firearms were used by members of Kosovo’s security forces, as well as the strengthening of security measures in Serb-inhabited areas in Kosovo;
- A stop to the demonization of the Serb community during public appearances by the President of Kosovo, Prime minister of Kosovo, and other high-ranking government officials from the Albanian community.
Those countries that have recognized Kosovo on the promise that they would work to build a multi-ethnic and democratic society and have spent years fostering the affirmation of its independence, have a historical and moral obligation towards the Serbs who live there. Our future depends on your resolve, and keeping peace in Kosovo depends on the swiftness of your actions. History will remember the course that you will now follow. We ask that you be accountable and faithful to democratic values in the diverse, multi-ethnic societies on which western civilization rests.
Signatories:
Name and Surname/ Institution, organization or profession/ Location
- Dragiša Mijačić / InTER / Zubin Potok
- Jovana Radosavljević / New Social Initiative / Leposavić
- Milica Andrić Rakić / New Social Initiative / Zubin Potok
- Miodrag Milićević / Aktiv / North Mitrovica
- Dušan Radaković / ACDC / North Mitrovica
- Archimandrite Sava Janjić / abbot of Visoki Dečani / Dečan
- Miroslav Ivanović / retired judge / North Mitrovica
- Nenad Todorović/ theatre director / North Mitrovica
- Ljubomir Pantović / lawyer / North Mitrovica
- Professor Nebojša R. Mitić PhD / professor at the Medical Faculty of UP / North Mitrovica
- Professor Biljana Jaredić PhD / Zvečan
- Momčilo Trajković / president of the Serbian National Forum / Gračanica
- Prim. dr Zvonko Radosavljević /head of surgery University hospital of North Mitrovica/ Leposavić
- Professor Igor Damjanović PhD / drama professor, Faculty of Arts of UP / Beograd, displaced
- Aleksandar Arsenijević / president of Civc Initiative Serbian survival / Zvečan
- Radmila Kapetanovic / Kolo srpskih sestara / Zubin Potok
- Jasmina Živković Jovanović / Association of the families of missing persons – Štrpce/ Štrpce
- Goran Avramović / editor RTV Kim / Gračanica
- Predrag Miljković / lawyer / North Mitrovica
- Zorica Vorgučić / editor RTV Kim / Gračanica
- Darko Dimitrijević / editor Radija Goraždevac / Goraždevac
- Anđelka Ćup / journalist / Gračanica
- Ivan Nikolić / CSD / Gračanica
- Ružica Simić / Womens’ Right / North Mitrovica
- Marko Jakšić / Bachelor of Law and political activist / North Mitrovica
- Saša Lazarević Kudra / vocal soloist / Zubin Potok
- Ana Marija Ivković / journalist Alternativna / Zvečan
- Miloš Subotić / Bachelor of Law / North Mitrovica
- Stefan Veljković / social and political activist / North Mitrovica
- Marko Milenković / New Social Initiative / Leposavić
- Ivan Vučković / journalist / Leposavić
- Stefan Kalaba / forestry engeneer / Zvečan
- Nenad Maksimović / Center for Peace and Tolerance / Gračanica
- Aleksandar Rapajić / Nansen Dialogue / North Mitrovica
- Milica Radovanović / New Social Initiative / North Mitrovica
- Rajko Jovanović / Center for Social Dialogue / Gračanica
- Aleksandar Velić / Center for Social Dialogue / Gračanica
- Vladimir Radosavljević / professor / Leposavić
- Milan Dobrić / graphic designer / North Mitrovica
- Danilo Đurić / climbing instructor / Osojane
- Jelena Jevremović / professor / Leposavić
- Bojana Manitašević / Center for Social Dialogue / Gračanica
- Nevena Radosavljević / peace activist and researcher / Leposavić
- Suzana Vukašinović / financial manager / Laplje Selo
- Mladena Vukašinović / Laplje Selo
- Veljko Samardžić / Center for Social Initiatives / Peć
- Biljana Stanković / Laplje Selo
- Aleksandar Tanasković / Eco Lepo / Leposavić
- Vladan Pavić / master of tone National Theatre of Priština in Gračanica/ North Mitrovica
- Vladislav Đerković / administration of National Theatre of Priština in Gračanica/ Leposavić
- Isidora Todorović / student of world literature / North Mitrovica
- Nebojša Đorđević / actor at National Theatre of Priština in Gračanica / Valjevo, displaced
- Ivana Simić /organizer National Theatre of Priština in Gračanica/ Beograd, displaced
- Verica Nešović / Bachelor of Economics / Leposavić
- Verka Jovanović / private sector / Leposavić
- Slobodan Pejanović / Master of History / Leposavić
- Gordana Đorić / Association of women entrepreneurs Avenija / Gračanica
- Anđela Milosavljević / Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science / Leposavić
- Ivan Milosavljević / Bachelor of Information Sciences / Leposavić
- Nenad Jovanović / entrepreneur/ Leposavić
- Srđan Simonović / Humani Centar Mitrovica / North Mitrovica
- Veroljub Petronić / Humani Centar Mitrovica / North Mitrovica
- Dejan Nedeljković / NGO Green heart / North Mitrovica
- Miodrag Andrić / retired organizational engineer / Zubin Potok
- Vesna Jovanović / professor of Serbian language and literature/ Parteš
- Ružica Lukić / retired teacher / Parteš
- Dobrivoje Jovanović / retired teacher / Parteš
- Oliver Vujović / Forum for cooperation and multiethnic society / Gračanica
- Milivoje Raičević / Master of Public Administation / North Mitrovica
- Nikola Todić / New Social Initiative/ Leposavić
- Slobodan Stošić / ACDC / North Mitrovica
- Vladan Trifić / Institute for public research / Gračanica
- Ivana Milosavljević / Association of the families of missing persons – Štrpce/ Štrpce
- Jovana Cvetnić / graduated journalist / Zubin Potok
- Saša ilić / Center for Peace and Tolerance / Gračanica
- Nemanja Nestorović / professor of English Language and literature / North Mitrovica
- Ivan Stojkovic / organizer National Theatre of Priština in Gračanica / Gračanica
- Slađana Kostić / Bachelor of Economics / Zubin Potok
- Uroš Branović / entrepreneur / Leposavić
- Igor Dašić / social worker / Zvečan
- Olivera Manojlović / professor of the Serbian language / Zubin Potok
- Marko Radojević / Biology professor / Zubin Potok
- Časlav Tomović / technology engineer / Velji Breg, Zubin Potok
- Boban Petrović / professor / Gračanica
- Milena Kasalović / professor of the Serbian language / Zubin Potok
- Oliver Vezmar / Electrical Engineer / Zubin Potok
- Ljubiša Mijačić / architect engineer / Zubin Potok
- Bojana Vukadinovic / Master of Psychology / North Mitrovica
- Nemanja Jovanović / IT professor / Zubin Potok
- Nataša Trifunović / architect engineer / Zubin Potok
- Dragana Dobrosavljević / Association of the families of missing persons – Štrpce/ Štrpce
- Martin Aleksić / professor of mathematics / Zubin Potok
- Dušan Bazović / student of medicine / North Mitrovica
- Zoran Milić / professor of mathematics / Zubin Potok
- Nikola Spasojević / professor of mathematics / Zubin Potok
- Sanja Krtinić / civic activist, pegagoue / North Mitrovica
- Bojana Miletić / professor of biology / Zubin Potok
- Sonja Božović / professor of Serbian lanugage / Zubin Potok
- Danijela Milosavljević / professor of Serbian lanugage / North Mitrovica
- Radosava Đorđević / chemistry professor / Zubin Potok
- Dragica Popović / doctor of medicine / North Mitrovica
- Dragica Tomović / professor of sociology / Zubin Potok
- Slađana Vulović / professor / Zubin Potok
- Nataša Bjelica / professor of English language and literature / North Mitrovica
- Aleksandra Savić / professor of Geography / Zubin Potok
- Zlatko Stojanović / Laplje Selo
- Miljan Božović / Bachelor of Economics / Zubin Potok
- Miloš Mitrović / professor of the French language / Zubin Potok
- Marija Trikoš / professor of Geography / North Mitrovica
- Sanja Sovrlić / journalist / Leposavić
- Nedeljko Mijačić / retired / Zubin Potok
- Vasilije Marković / retired Electrical Engineer / Zubin Potok
- Slađana Vukašinović / Laplje Selo
- Đorđe Jelić / elektrotehničar računara / Zubin Potok
- Aleksandar Arsić / Electrical Engineer / North Mitrovica
- Dragiša Kostić / InTER / Zubin Potok
- Ana Ćup Marković / journalist Gračanica Online and Prva TV / Gračanica
- Bojan Milosavljević / Action for Social and Economic Development / Leposavić
- Branislav Vasović / Youth Cultural Center / Leposavić
- Mirjana Obradović / retired / Zubin Potok
- Jelena Prica / tax administration worker / North Mitrovica
- Milica Prica / philologist and designer / North Mitrovica
- Marija Simunović / Agricultural Engineer / Zubin Potok
- Anastasija Rakić / Agricultural Engineer / Zubin Potok
- Vasiljka Voinović / Svet anđela / North Mitrovica
- Marija Milenković / InTER / Zubin Potok
- Katarina Milosavljević / student / Veliko Rudare, Zvečan
- Aleksandra Fićović / student / Veliko Rudare, Zvečan
- Dobrinka Obradović / Constrruction Technician / Zubin Potok
- Mišel Koneski / Master of International Management/ Leposavić
- Milica Milenković / Construction Engineer / Zubin Potok
- Saša Jovanović / Association of the families of missing persons – Štrpce/ Štrpce
- Verica Mijačić / professor of civic education / Zubin Potok
- Milica Marković / Biology professor / Zubin Potok
- Zorica Stanković / housekeeper / Parteš
- Dragana Vićentijević / Professor of Chemistry / Zubin Potok
- Andrijana Vlašković / Bachelor of Economics / Zubin Potok
- Snežana Perić Bogdanović / Project Coordinator / Gračanica
- Aleksandar Ratković / Architectural Engineer / North Mitrovica
- Danilo Radović / specialist professional engineer of informatics and computer science / North Mitrovica
- Mirjana Bojović / Bachelor of Law / North Mitrovica
- Radoljub Jakšić / Plant Electrician / Zubin Potok
- Milena Dabetić / psycologyst, European Certificate of Psychotherapy / North Mitrovica
- Nikolina Klajić / student of Political Sciences / North Mitrovica
- Marina Milentijević / student of journnalism/ Zvečan
- Vladislav Ćup /media worker / Grčanica
- Milena Maksimović / media worker / Radevo
- Miladin Kostić / retired / Zubin Potok
- Dimitrije Mirković / media worker / Laplje Selo
- Zorica Obradović / student / Zubin Potok
- Nikola Milosavljević / media worker / Gračanica
- Nenad Cvetnić / Medical Technician / Zubin Potok
- Božidarka Živković / Association of the families of missing persons – Štrpce/ Štrpce
- Dragan Pešaković / Construction Engineer / Leposavic
- Sunčica Andrejević / photo reporter Alternativna / Ugljare – Kosovo Polje
- Marina Božović / professor of Geography / Zubin Potok
- Vlado Vukomanović / Econimic Technician / Zubin Potok
- Nemanja Božović / Bachelor of Pedagogy / North Mitrovica
- Vesna Kostić / kindergarten teacher, pedagogue / Zubin Potok
- Violeta Marinković / Bachelor of Economy / Zubin Potok
- Nemanja Obradović / engineer of electrical engineering and computing / Zubin Potok
- Andrija Igić / journalist, RTS correspondent/ Priština
- Vesna Stajić / professional manager / Novo Brdo
- Dragan Božović / engineer / Zubin Potok
- Vladimir Živković / Electrical engineer and civic activist/ Gračanica
