“Vejernje Novosti” disinforms for Kosovo population registration

The portal “Veernje Novosti” has recently published an article entitled “want to fine Serbian families by 8,000 euros! Pristina plans to sanction all citizens who boycotted the latest census in Kosovo”.

This article contains a series of inaccurate deinformities and claims on the alleged misuse of the census, including questions about “viktimat” and “war damage” in order that, as they say, “provides Kosovo authorities with material provisions for a” against Belgrade, with which <6> constantly threatens”.

The following will be the disinformation of this portal.

“Veernje Novosti” writes:

Pristina's “Institutions misused the census and included questions for “victims” and “war damage <xx4> in question to provide materials for a lawsuit against Belgrade, with which they are constantly threatening. The data has been requested until June 1999 and means that Serbian suffering has been deliberately ignored, as all Serb murders, kidnappings and property robberies have occurred after that period, namely, after the international community's arrival in Kosovo.

On the other hand, the series of arrests, insinuated judgments, the ban on Serbian goods, the expulsion of dinars, harassment, all of this was calculated to make as few people complete the questionnaires. Because the plan is to show that there are not enough Serbs, especially in northern Kosovo, to form a Serb Communist Community, which Pristina has been avoiding for years. Also, there is real danger that Kurti's accountants would penalise Serb majority communities, or take less money from the budget, because accounts are done mainly on the basis of the population number.

How much Pristina paid attention to the registration of Serbs was proven by questionnaires filled with valueless questions, actual and typographical mistakes. The so-called Kosovo Statistics Agency did not even make the slightest effort to ensure that our people at least understood the questions, but the goal was simply to implement the law officially that the poll was also in the Serbian language.

Analysis:

According to official data, the 2024 census in Kosovo includes questions about the damage caused during the 1998-1999 war, and these questions have been presented as part of a broader census being conducted with the support of international organisations such as Eurostat, the UN and the World Bank.

The census also includes all Kosovo citizens and calls for participation of all communities, including Serbs.

There is no evidence to support claims made by Večernje novost for arrests or systematic hearings for obstructing registration, so once again this portal has tried to deceive the opinion.

Kosovo Statistical Agency officials have provided training for Serbian census recorders and supervisors to ensure the involvement of the Serb community in the census.

On the other hand, in order for Belgrade to intervene in the census process and not see the exact number of Serb communities voting without obstacles in Serbia's elections and bringing victory to Vuciqi and his party, the main Serbian political party “Srpska List” called for boycotting the census, which had the biggest impact on the response of Serbs in northern Kosovo.

Even claims that the questions in the poll were unclear for the Serb community are not true, as any census owner would explain a question in case of need.

The arrests that are taking place in Kosovo, which he mentions in the above-mentioned portal article, are mostly on charges of spying and other criminal activities, and not as part of a campaign of intimidation against the Serbian population.

Kosovo has taken measures, including banning Serbian goods as part of broader political and economic measures in response to Serbia's actions against Kosovo.

Questions about victims and the damages of war are included in the census, not to discriminate against Serbs, but to document the damages of war.

Portal Večernje novost is known for writing nationalist articles with unilateral content, and his claims have often been exposed. /The Geopost