Report on the human rights situation in northern Kosovo
Report for November 2023
During the reporting period, there were frequent reports from local residents in northern Kosovo about the inappropriate treatment by the special units of Kosovo police (KP SOUs), intimidation during regular traffic controls performed by KP SOUs, reports about alleged human rights violations, and concerns about road blockade in villages in the municipality of Leposavić/Leposaviq, etc. Of note, Kosovo authorities have justified the presence of KP SOUs under the pretext of the fight against crime and smuggling..
Methodology
NGO Aktiv has gathered information about the potential instances of hate speech and human rights violations through the monitoring of the media outlets in Serbian and Albanian languages and by directly interviewing the residents of four northern Kosovo municipalities who have reported potential human rights violations. In our work, we have relied on the universally accepted terminology and definitions vis-à-vis human rights, as defined and outlined by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a milestone document, but also other UN conventions and documents, and also the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and all relevant Kosovo legal framework that regulates the human rights and protection from discrimination, including the hate speech.
NGO“Aktiv” conducted monitoring of the situation related to human rights in the municipalities of Leposavić/Leposaviq, Zvecan/Zveçan, Zubin Potok, and North Mitrovica.
Excessive use of force
On the 19th of November during the arrest of a person close to the administrative boundary line (ABL) in Zubin Potok municipality, excessive use of force by KP was reported. The individual suffered physical injuries. According to him, he did not offer any resistance during the police action and offered to cooperate fully, nevertheless was forcefully pulled out of the vehicle and suffered several blows, while his face was pressed onto the wan he was driving. He was apprehended and taken to the police station close to the ABL, and he was denied access to a lawyer. The man reported that the police officers continued to harass him further by hitting him and degrading him by throwing toilet paper role in the direction of his head. These actions may constitute a violation of international human rights law. After submitting the complaint, the investigation started and is still ongoing and some parts are inconclusive.
Freedom of movement
The case of blocking of rural roads near the administrative boundary line (ABL) in northern Kosovo includes at least six villages and hamlets some of them being Belo Brdo/Bellobradë, Jošanica/Jashanicë, Zrnosek/Zërnosek, Crnac/Cërnac mine, etc. These road barriers (T-walls) were put in place in October but the NGO “Aktiv” did a follow-up in November. Excavators and trucks, accompanied by the Kosovo Police on the roads of remote villages in the municipality of Leposavić/Leposaviq, which lead towards Kopaonik and Raška have placed concrete barricades (T-walls), which prevented the unhindered movement of people living in the areas close to the ABL. Residents of these rural areas now have to walk four to ten kilometers to reach the fields in which they have their crops, health centers, and mines where many people from these villages work. One of the barriers has been placed on the only road that takes workers to the water distribution center which now is difficult to get to. At least 75 people residing in those locations and their freedom of movement have been adversely impacted.
Cases reported in this report are still ongoing and there is no conclusion on them so the situation might change in the future.
