One of the leaders of the Kosovo Serbs Oliver Ivanovich was killed on Tuesday in Kosovska Mitrovica. This crime can hamper the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and further exacerbate the relationship between them.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has already called the murder of Ivanovich a terrorist attack and an attack on the entire Serbian people.
Representatives of international missions in Kosovo condemned the murder of Ivanovich and demanded from the local authorities to find the perpetrators as soon as possible and bring them to justice. And in Russia they pointed to the danger of an escalation of the atmosphere of terror and the resumption of interethnic conflicts in the region.
– Five shots –
The attempt on Ivanovich was committed on Tuesday morning, when the politician was part of the office of the party headed by him, “Freedom, Democracy, Truth”. As Ivanovitch’s colleague reported on the party, no one heard the sound of the shots, and the neighbor, who was returning from the store, discovered a wounded politician. The politician was taken to the Mitrovica hospital with five gunshot wounds to the chest. Despite the efforts of doctors, his life was not saved.
According to the prosecutor of Kosovo Mitrovica, Ivanovich was shot “from a moving car”. Later, the police found a burned car without numbers on several blocks from the scene, where the killers allegedly were moving.
Oliver Ivanovich is one of the leaders of the Kosovo Serbs, in the past – the Secretary of State (Deputy Minister) in the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija affairs in the government of Serbia. Since January 2014, Ivanovich, along with four other Serbs, was imprisoned for war crimes against the Albanian civilian population in Kosovo and Metohija in 1999 and 2000.
In August 2015, Ivanovich went on a hunger strike and, because of a deterioration in his health, was transferred from prison to a hospital. Nevertheless, on January 21, 2016, he was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of war crimes committed against Kosovo Albanians in 1999.
In February 2017, the verdict of the court of first instance was abolished, and a new trial began. Ivanovich was under house arrest, and from April 2017 he was allowed to defend himself in court while being at large. In recent years, Ivanovich repeatedly received threats, his car was twice burned and once mined.
Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic, who had been friends with Ivanovich for a long time, was “extremely attached to the city of Kosovska Mitrovica” on Serbian national television.
“I honestly did not understand him.” After burning his car, after threats to him, I asked him: “What should you do in Mitrovica?” He was the target of attacks and criticism from all sides, I talked with him about it. He was extremely sensitive to the whole political situation, but he wanted to change everything in a democratic way, this is the main difference between him and the others, he prevented everyone,” Lyaich said.
Ivanovich himself during life argued that Kosovo’s “Albanians want to take Mitrovica so much,” because it is “the only serious industrial city in Kosovo, this is the only opportunity for industrialization for them.” “Therefore, it is important, despite everything, to remain and live here,” the politician considered.
– Attack on Serbia –
Murder Ivanovich caused a sharp reaction in Belgrade. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic convened an emergency meeting of the country’s Security Council, after which he addressed the nation.
“The murder of Oliver Ivanovich is a terrorist act, and we will treat it as a terrorist act,” Vučić said.
He also stressed that the attempt on Ivanovich was “first of all an attack on the Serbian people in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, and secondly, an attack on Serbia as a whole.”
The Serbian leader said that a decision was made to conduct his own investigation into the murder of Ivanovich, and expressed confidence that the killers would be found. Vucic also said that at a meeting of the country’s Security Council, it was decided to send letters to the EU and UN missions in Kosovo with a demand to allow the state bodies of Serbia to participate in the investigation of the murder of Ivanovich in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija.
A similar statement was made by the head of the Chancellery for Kosovo and Metohija under the Cabinet of Ministers, Marco Djuric, who heads the Serbian delegation in the technical dialogue with Pristina, which takes place in Brussels. “The murder of Oliver Ivanovich is a terrorist act whose aim is to destabilize the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, this is an attack on the entire Serbian people.” In connection with the murder of Oliver Ivanovich, we stop the negotiations and immediately return to Belgrade,” Djuric said.
The President of Serbia supported the decision to suspend the dialogue with Pristina. “Today, the delegation of Serbia has stopped talks in Brussels, because it’s pointless to talk in such circumstances.” It’s very difficult to talk when the threats of war and conflicts in Kosovo and Metohija come daily, “Vučić said. However, later, in an address to the nation, he said: “We are always ready for negotiations with Pristina.”
Vučić also announced his intention to visit Kosovo soon, because “we need to talk with the people who are waiting for this.” The Serbian leader noted that it is not easy to live in the province, where cars are constantly set on fire or hay cooked for the winter. “Do you know how many cars were officially burned from 1999 to 2010. Only officially confirmed cases of burning cars in the north of Kosovo, where only Serbs are supposed to live, number 120,” the president said.
The Serbian leader warned the Kosovo authorities against attempts to use Ivanovich’s murder to introduce security forces to the north of the autonomous region and “take away the last thing left.”
– They promise to investigate –
Kosovo leader Hashim Thaci condemned Ivanovich’s murder and pointed to the need to thoroughly investigate the crime, find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“I urge the law enforcement agencies to investigate the circumstances of his murder as soon as possible, and the perpetrators of the crime must be brought before the law,” said Thaci, who was quoted by the RTK channel.
Tachi also called on citizens of all communities in the north of Kosovo to cooperate with law enforcement agencies for the most rapid investigation of the crime.
“Murder of Oliver Ivanovich under unknown circumstances and for unclear reasons is a criminal matter and is punishable.Our institutions will do everything in their power to investigate this murder,” Ramush Haradinaj, Prime Minister of Kosovo, said in turn.
At the same time, he accused Belgrade of trying to take advantage of an emergency to block the dialogue with Pristina. “The use of this tragic case for everyday policy, including the blocking of the process aimed at normalizing relations, is against the logic and spirit of cooperation.”
“Kosovo remains committed to creating a safe environment for all its citizens, as well as a steady movement along the European path,” Haradinaj said.
Kosovo police promised an award of € 10 thousand for any information that could help in the investigation of the murder of the Serbian politician. In addition, Kosovo law enforcers posted phone numbers and an e-mail address on the department’s website, where they can inform the police about new details of the case. Law enforcers guarantee security and confidentiality for those who apply.
The statement says that at present the investigators are studying all the details of what happened.
– Strong condemnation –
Russia and representatives of international organizations issued a decisive condemnation of the murder of the Serbian politician and demanded to find and punish those responsible.
Moscow “strongly condemns this despicable act,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said . “Reducing political accounts in this way is fraught with the escalation of the atmosphere of terror, the relapse of interethnic conflict in the region,” the diplomat stressed. “We call upon all international presences in Kosovo, in accordance with the existing mandates, to take comprehensive measures to prevent possible incidents in the province.”
“We expect that the relevant structures will conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and identify the perpetrators who will bear the punishment they deserve,” the ministry said.
Those responsible for the murder of Ivanovich must be brought to justice without delay, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federic Mogerini in a telephone conversation with the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo.
“The High Representative strongly condemned the murder and expressed condolences to the family and friends [of the murdered one.] She stressed that she expects the relevant Kosovo authorities dealing with the rule of law to make every effort to find the perpetrators and immediately bring them to justice,” the statement reads foreign policy service of the EU.
With a demand for a thorough investigation, the acting chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger made statements. “We are shocked by the murder of Oliver Ivanovich, we condemn it in the strongest possible way and demand an immediate thorough investigation to identify the persons responsible for such a heinous crime,” reads a joint statement posted on the organization’s website.
With statements condemning the killing of the Serbian politician and requiring quick and thorough investigation to punish the perpetrators, the leaders of the UN, OSCE and EU missions in Kosovo also spoke.