Ahead of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s Kosovo visit, there are reports of Kosovo Serbs who work for Belgrade-funded institutions being compelled to attend his rally.
Some Kosovo Serb representatives say that employees of institutions funded by Serbia in Kosovo are being pressured to attend a rally in support of President Aleksandar Vucic, and fear reprisals if they do not show up.
“Everyone in education has been called on to declare [whether they will go] – in the university and the elementary and high schools,” Ksenija Bozovic, from the Freedom, Democracy, Justice Party, based in the divided northern town of Mitrovica, said.
Bozovic told BIRN that employees are being given statements to sign, saying that they will attend the September 9 rally, and that the situation is the same in Serbia-funded health care facilities.
Fr Sava Janjic, abbot of the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Decani, said that workers in schools had told him that “an important [Serbian] state institution” had ordered them to send lists of their employees who will not attend the rally.
Архим. Сава – Fr. Sava, Dečani Monastery@SavaJanjic Зову нас забринути људи из школа. Морају да пошаљу списак свих радника својих школа због одласка на предстојећи митинг 9. сеп у Зубин Потоку. У понедељак се шаљу спискови свих који неће да иду. Наредба стиже из једне важне државне институције. Људи, па ово је повратак у комунизам 4:48 PM – Aug 30, 2018 1,947 689 people are talking about this
Зову нас забринути људи из школа. Морају да пошаљу списак свих радника својих школа због одласка на предстојећи митинг 9. сеп у Зубин Потоку. У понедељак се шаљу спискови свих који неће да иду. Наредба стиже из једне важне државне институције. Људи, па ово је повратак у комунизам
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“Listening to numerous testimonies, I feel that our people – especially those living south of the river Ibar – are deeply humiliated these days, when a systematic process of proscription is implemented by preparing lists of those who are supposed to attend the ‘rally of the century’ … and show support to something they don’t believe in,” Janjic wrote in another Twitter post.
A former Serb MP in the Kosovo parliament, Rada Trajkovic, also said that Kosovo Serbs working in healthcare, education and social services had reported being pressured to attend Vucic’s rally.
“It is an unprecedented abuse of institutions,” Trajkovic told BIRN.
Serbian Education Ministry, Health Ministry and President Vucic’s Progressive Party did not reply to BIRN’s request to respond to the allegation by the time of publication.
Vucic announced in August that he will visit Kosovo in early September to present “guidelines and directions of state policy towards Kosovo” to local Serbs.
For more read the full of article at The Balkaninsight
