PRIŠTINA’S LAW THREATENS RIGHTS OF MORE THAN 10,000 SERBS

BELGRADE, MARCH 6 /SRNA/ - President of the Alliance of Serbs from the Region, Miodrag Linta, said that Priština’s law on foreigners will directly endanger the basic human rights of more than 10,000 Serbs who live and work in Kosovo and Metohija.

If Priština begins implementing the law on March 15, Linta stressed that no Serb who is not part of the Albanian system will be able to stay in Kosovo and Metohija for more than three days. He stated that these are Serbs who do not have identity cards issued by the Priština authorities, either for bureaucratic reasons or because they do not wish to obtain them, the Alliance of Serbs from the Region said in a statement. “This means that more than 10,000 Serbs will become foreigners in their own houses and apartments, as the only documents they possess are Serbian identity cards issued by relocated Serbian police administrations in Kosovo and Metohija, which the Priština authorities consider illegal documents,” Linta said. He warned that all monks and priests of the Raška-Prizren Eparchy who are registered in Serbia’s system will also be treated as foreigners. He added that one of the provisions of the law also stipulates expulsion and a ban on entry to Kosovo and Metohija. “The question arises how citizens who live in Kosovo and Metohija and possess only Serbian documents, which the Priština authorities do not recognize, will register their stay,” Linta asked. He pointed out that the implementation of the law on foreigners would also call into question the survival of the University in Kosovska Mitrovica, as well as the Serbian education and healthcare systems, because many people employed there would no longer be able to work or travel to Kosovo and Metohija since they do not have documents issued by Priština. According to data from Rector Nebojša Arsić, out of 1,100 employees at the University, 500 do not have documents issued by Priština, along with more than 2,000 students. Linta believes that Serbia should engage in an active dialogue with representatives of the international community to find practical solutions that will guarantee the daily security of the Serbian people, their right to education, healthcare, work, and to remain in their homes. Priština intends to begin implementing the law on foreigners on March 15, under which citizens who do not possess citizenship or identity cards of the so-called Kosovo will be considered foreigners and will have to register their stay with the so-called Kosovo police. The law on vehicles stipulates that driving a vehicle based on an authorization will no longer be possible if the driver does not have a residence in the country where the vehicle is registered.