BELGRADE/PRISTINA, Aug 12 (Balkan View) – Serbian officials demanded an international response on Wednesday after a Serb from northern Kosovo was hospitalised with serious injuries that he said were inflicted by members of the Kosovo Police, while Kosovo’s police oversight body took over the case.
Nenad Rašković, from the village of Dren near Zubin Potok, was admitted to the Clinical Hospital Centre in North Mitrovica with serious injuries and was later transferred to Belgrade for further treatment, according to Serbian media reports.
Zlatan Elek, director of the hospital in North Mitrovica, said Rašković had suffered injuries to his head and chest, as well as fractured ribs, and had initially been treated in intensive care.
The circumstances surrounding the incident have not been independently established. Serbian officials have accused Kosovo police officers of assaulting Rašković, while the case has been referred to the Kosovo Police Inspectorate, the body responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct by police officers.
Rašković gave a statement while in hospital, according to regional media reports.
EULEX says allegations must be investigated
The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, EULEX, said it was monitoring the case and stressed that allegations of mistreatment by police officers should be properly investigated.
Serbian officials, however, sharply criticised international missions and Western governments over their response.
Danijela Nikolić, chairwoman of the Serbian parliament’s Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, described the injuries as an “indictment against torture” and called on KFOR, EULEX, the European Union and other international representatives to respond.
“Are the wounds on Nenad Rašković’s body only his wounds, or are they finally your shame as well?” Nikolić said in a statement carried by Tanjug.
She alleged that Kosovo police first searched Rašković’s home before taking him to a nearby wooded area, where she said he was beaten and tied to a tree.
Those allegations have not been independently verified.
Belgrade links case to wider dispute
Other Serbian officials portrayed the incident as evidence of what they described as systematic pressure against the Serb community in Kosovo.
Serbian parliament speaker Ana Brnabić criticised international actors for what she described as a muted response to Rašković’s case, contrasting it with their reaction to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s recent statements about potentially changing the course of the Ibar River.
The alleged assault comes amid renewed tensions between Belgrade and Pristina following Vučić’s comments that Serbia was examining possible changes to the Ibar’s course.
Those remarks triggered criticism from Kosovo and Albania, while the European Union said statements about possible changes to the river did not contribute to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia.
Washington has also reiterated that peace and stability in the Western Balkans remain U.S. priorities and that normalisation between Serbia and Kosovo is necessary.
The Rašković case could now add another layer to the dispute, particularly if the Kosovo Police Inspectorate’s investigation determines that police officers were involved.