Serbia to keep Kosovo man detained until July

Gazeta Express

28/05/2020 16:51

Kosovo citizen Nezir Mehmetaj, who was arrested at the border with Serbia in January 2020, will be kept in detention until July. Serbian authorities are accusing him of war crimes.

Mehmetaj was arrested on 4 January 2020 while entering Serbia at the border crossing of Merdare. He was accompanying his mother who was going to Nis for a medical check-up. Mehmetaj was arrested by Serbian police at the order of a Serbian court for allegedly committing war crimes. Five months after his arrest his family members say that Serbian authorities have extended his detention for additional two months. Nezir’s brother, Valon told Gazeta Express that they have appealed a decision of a Court in Belgrade asking Mehmetaj;s release from detention.

Kosovo’s ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement last month asking the US and EU to take measures and make Serbia reflect about its decision to arrest and detain Kosovo citizens. An EU spokesperson told earlier Gazeta Express that they are closely following the arrest of a Kosovo citizen by Serbian authorities and urged Pristina and Belgrade to cooperate on judicial cases as parties agreed during the EU-facilitated dialogue in Brussels. Following this incident Kosovo’s ministry of Foreign Affairs advised citizens to avoid travelling through Serbia. /GazetaExpress/