Kidnapped, but Serbia denies it is mistreating three Kosovo police officers

The director of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, Petar Petkov, has denied the authorities' accusations in Kosovo that official Belgrade is mistreating three Kosovo police officers.

The “is absolutely a lie that Belgrade is treating badly, that they are not being given drugs, that are being mistreated. When she says these to Pristina, she leaves, because she is mistreating arrested Serbs, beating them and not letting them go”, Petkovic said.

He added that Serbia “is a serious state” and acts by law.

Every person arrested has his own room, they take medicine, food and drink. They're not in the porch, but unlike the arrested Serbs, these three are like the Four Seasons [Four Seasons]. Stop lying. You are seeking the release of those who entered Serbia's territory with long rifles. Deal with Serbs who are unjustly arrested, who are being mistreated”, Petkovic said.

He added that he was <x0ronted” by reactions from the United States and the United Kingdom, which requested the release of Kosovo police members, whom Belgrade says has arrested in central Serbia. “No one mentions that it is necessary to free innocent Serbs. What hypocrisy are we talking about? We don't decide because legal procedures have begun and we are now in legal process. The prosecution and the court decide on the case, not the embassies”, Pettovic said.

Kosovo Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Kressnik Ahmeti told Radio Europe Free on Friday that three Kosovo police officers, who Pristina says were kidnapped within Kosovo's territory, have been pronounced a 30-day detention measure by justice authorities in Kralev.

Ahmeti said that based on information he has, police officers “are being held in inhumane, food-free conditions and without adequate medical treatment”.

He said he has obtained this data from an official of the Kosovo Liaison Office in Belgrade, which, according to Ahmeti, is in contact with one of the police attorneys.

Yesterday, through the Liaison Office, we asked the Red Cross and the Torture Prevention Committee to take an interest in our officers there. This is very serious and disturbing for us today, Ahmeti said, adding that the head of the Kosovo Liaison Office in Belgrade, Jetish Jashari, was denied the request to visit the police.

Three Kosovo police officers were arrested by Serbian forces on 14 June. 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.

Peacekeeping Mission NATO in Kosovo, KFOR, has said 16 June that it remains unclear where Kosovo Police members were at the time of arrest.

This mission said it has inspected the location where the event took place and has talked with representatives of institutions in Kosovo and with authorities in Serbia.

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

The case with the three Kosovo police officers occurred at the time of increasing tensions in northern Kosovo, inhabited by Serb majority. Tensions began on May 26th, when young Albanian mayors in the north, under the assistance of the Kosovo Police, entered municipal buildings amid opposition from local Serbs.

Tensions culminated on May 29th, when in Zvecan, Serb protesters clashed with NATO mission members in Kosovo, KFOR. Dozens of people on both sides have been hurt by the clashes. Also, on June 13th, Kosovo police conducted an action in northern Mitrovica, where they arrested Milun Milenkovic.

Interior Affairs Minister Xhelal Svecla said the detainee allegedly was one of the organisers of events in Zvecan 29 May.