Serbian authorities ban holidays in northern Kosovo

As the reason for such a thing is highlighted <x0) political situation“.

We're all surprised”, Radio Free Europe co- talker said.

“People have paid thousands of euros for summer arrangements”, he adds.

The worker's identity is known for the newsroom Radio Free Europe, but he insisted that he remain anonymous because of fear he might lose his job.

In a meeting of department chiefs with the prime ministers, the annual holiday is strictly prohibited. If any of the department chiefs approve of his employees (rests), it will immediately be replaced”, says another REL co-director, as well as from the health field.

Anger and Repression for Stopping Breaks

Anger is not hidden by workers in other sectors, as in education, who sought not to be identified.

The director told us yesterday that there is no break until further notice and that we are forced to appear at work, without explanation. This is reportedly the order of the Ministry of Education. We are powerless, we have been mixed by fear, anger and grief”, said an employee from the education system.

“Who gave this order? Did the State give it? Has the state of emergency been declared? That's not normal. For three years we haven't moved anywhere, yet now, we stop. Who is stopping us and why?” asks another employee in the Serbian system in Kosovo, adding that everyone is an abomination and angry “.

I have been born, in protests, barricades, battlefields... and my children have the right to sea, for joy, for wine. Nothing ever connects me to this Kosovo anymore. I've been disgusted with”, he added.

This is happening after the Government of Kosovo, 29 June, imposed reciprocal measures regarding personal documents on Serbia, as well as the decision to reregister cars with city signs in Kosovo issued by Serbia's authorities on the RKS (Kosovo Republic) billboards.

Those plates that were used mainly in northern Kosovo, official Pristina considered them illegal for years, but has not reacted, as this time is reacting.

“Warnings for war and persecution of Serbs”

Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, has reacted sharply to the Kosovo Government's decision, with claims that representatives of the Serbian List have announced that they will no longer endure any “threat”.

The goal is to expel Serbs, especially from the north of Kosovo and Metohija, to make a new {Stuhiʹ”, Vuciq has said and added that Belgrade will not allow that.
Meanwhile, the director of the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, Petar Petkovovic, has estimated that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is preparing “to start a major conflict and attack on Serbs at the end of September”.

Components Keep Quiet

Free Europe Radio has failed to receive answers from authorities in northern Kosovo concerning stopping holidays because of the political situation.
School administration chief Ivan Zaporozhac and the director of the Clinical Hospital Centre, Zlatan Elek, did not respond to calls or phone messages on July 1st.

The answer has not come from the Office for Kosovo of the Government of Serbia, neither the Ministry of Education nor the Health of the Government of Serbia.

Tourist agencies in chaos

Nenad Stojakovic, owner of the tourist agency “Holiday plus” from North Mitrovica, confirms to Radio Free Europe that a large number of people call for cancelling arrangements at the last moment.

It's a big problem, how the money's coming back. That's a big problem, more than 100 people (have asked for vacation cancellation)”, Stojakovic said.

As an example, he points out that a family had to travel to Egypt on June 30th, but in the last moment, it has cancelled its journey.

“They lost the hotel they paid in February. How do you compensate that money?”, says the owner of the tourist agency “Holiday plus”.

He explains that they have already suffered losses because of the coronary pandemic and reiterated that a major problem has now been created because of the sudden cancellation of annual holidays.

A large number of Serbs in Kosovo are employed in Serbian institutions, whether their existence depends on the salaries Belgrade provides.

From Serbia's 2021 budget, about 91.8m euros have been earmarked for Kosovo, and most of that amount -- around 67.7m euros -- goes to the Office for Kosovo.

Funds for Kosovo are allocated not only through the Government Office, but also through certain ministries.

Workers of Serbian institutions often had a job duty to come out of protest because of the political situation, or at the barricades, even in the Kosovo elections, when they had to support the Serbian List, the main Serbian political party in Kosovo.

Work tasks in various fields

For example, in September 2021, they had “working duties” to participate, with shifts, in blocking Jarinje and Brnjak border points. At that time, hotel facilities had to be closed so that as many people could be made available at the barricades.

Last year, local populations from northern Kosovo municipalities have blocked border crossings for two weeks because of the Kosovo Government's decision to impose reciprocal measures for Serbia's license plates. Representatives of the Serbian List, the leading Kosovo Serb party, which has Belgrade's backing, have been with locals all the time at the barricades.

The two sides then reached an agreement on reducing tensions and a temporary agreement on license plates, under which state symbols are covered with white stickers.

Fear of Serbs

International and local organisations for years have noted that Serbs in Kosovo are subject to intimidation, and most are afraid to speak publicly about their political views.

Something like that has shown research “The analysis of the trends” by the nongovernmental organisation active by North Mitrovica.

This organisation, over the past six years, has done this research, which aims to convey the views of the Serb community in Kosovo, on various issues and different areas of life.

The 2021 report says 70 percent of respondents in Kosovo's majority Serb municipalities said that “do not feel free to publicly express political views”.

Miodrag Milicevic, executive director of the nongovernmental organisation Active, estimates that this large percentage of those who don't feel free is because “every day suffers pressure”.

“As a result, there is self-doculation and self-insistance to speak publicly about certain positions, or the consequences of certain policies”.

Milicevic says the lack of freedom of speech is extremely harmful to the Serb community in Kosovo, which has already been “austerity and torture in the last 20 years”.

“This situation is really unacceptable and that freedom of speech is a wealth of our society as a whole”, Milicevic points out.

He believes promoting freedom of speech to the Serb community in Kosovo should be done not only by politicians, but by society as a whole.

Meanwhile, our conversationor, from the beginning of this confession, says:

“They're ruining our lives”