Families in the Dark for Three Cops

Silent, waiting for information. Family of police officials, who Kosovo claims were kidnapped from Serbia on 14 June in a border zone between the two countries, claimed they knew little or nothing about their relatives.

Whatever we know about our family, is what we've heard in the Kosovo media”, said a member of the police family Becir Sefa.

The relative, who spoke of Radio Free Europe on condition of anonymity, said the news was announced to family members to several Sefa colleagues and several Kosovo Police commanders.

Bored, he showed that sharing the news was a difficult time for his family.

Someone was supposed to be there. It's our family lot, the other family's. Had it not been for these, there would have been several more”, he said.

Free Europe radio stood in the villages of Peran and Letza in the municipality of Podujevo, northeast of Kosovo, to meet the families of two of the three policemen, which Serbia claims were arrested “Deep” within its territory.

In Letza, the family of police officer Rifat Zeka refused to talk about the case, saying they have little information.

“We are in contact with institutions' officials, but there is nothing new from what is known so far”, they said.

Meanwhile, contact with the family of police officer Shema Mustafa, from South Mitrovica, has been impossible.

Free Europe Radio has unofficially learned that lawyers in Serbia, committed to protecting Kosovo police, have requested documents and information for the three officials, about their time and commitment to the Kosovo Police, and so on.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on June 19th that he will decide whether to participate in a crisis meeting called by the European Union, after understanding the situation of three Kosovo police officers being held in prison in Serbia.

“I first want to expect the visit of [the head of the Kosovo Liaison Office in Belgrade] Ambassador Jetish Jashari, to Kraleva, and only later, when I have the data from this visit of our three policemen, held hostage, captive, to Serbia, in retaliation for fighting organised crime and corruption in Kosovo, I will make the decision and give the announcement [for participation at the Brussels meeting]<1>, when he declared before journalists.

Kurti said Jashar's visit is meant for tomorrow (June 20th).

Kosovo Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspore Kreshnik Ahmeti told Radio Europe free of charge last week that the three officers “are being held in inhumane, food-free conditions and without adequate medical treatment”.

The authorities in Serbia have exposed this.

The United States of America, the United Kingdom and Germany have sought the immediate release of three Kosovo police officials.

According to the Kosovo Police, police officials have been arrested in Trisave/Bare, located in the municipality of Leposaviqi in northern Kosovo.

Kosovo police officers are under 30-day detention in southern Serbia. The High Public Prosecutor in Kralev has ordered the conduct of investigations against them.

According to Serbian authorities, they allegedly committed criminal work -- production, possession, possession and illegal trafficking of weapons and explosives -- which carries the sentence of up to 12 years in prison.

The case with three police officials has exacerbated the situation in northern Kosovo, where there has been an increase of tensions since late May, when the new Albanian mayors of municipalities in the north, with the assistance of the Kosovo Police, entered municipal buildings amid opposition from local Serbs.