Report UN cites exercise of Serbian List pressure, intimidation against Serbs in the north

The U.S. State Department has recently released the Human Rights Report for 1923, which is said to have no significant changes in Kosovo regarding the human rights situation.

State Department Report Says the Kosovo government took reliable but not continuous steps to identify, investigate, accuse and punish officials who may have abused human rights.

The third chapter of this report on freedom to participate in the political process also mentions the issue of Serbian List influence on local Serbs in the country's north.

The Serbian government continued to operate illegal parallel government structures in Kosovo's majority Serb areas and in areas populated mainly by the Goran community of Kosovo. The Serbian government often used these structures to influence Kosovo's Serb and Gorani communities and their political representatives”, the UN report said.

The UN also mentions the process of holding parliamentary elections in February 2021.

The country held parliamentary elections in February 2021. International observers considered elections mainly fair and free of abuse and irregularities. International and independent observers, as well as representatives of ethnic minority groups, reported concerns about the lack of competition in Kosovo's majority Serb areas and noted pressure and intimidation within ethnic minority communities to support parties lined up with the Serbian List, a party closely linked to the Serbian government”, Telegraph reports.

The UN adds that party affiliation often played a role in access to government services and social opportunities and employment.

“Perspectives for opposition parties in Kosovo's Serb areas remained limited, however, due to reported pressure and intimidation tactics to influence Kosovo Serbs to back Serbian List”, the report said.

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