Balkans | The house arrest of the former Serbian policeman, who caused tension between Kosovo and Serbia, has been extended by two months

The house arrest of former Serbian police officer Dejan Pantec has been extended by two months, escalating tensions between Kosovo and Serbia and setting up roadblocks in the north of the country.

The Court of First Instance in the capital, Pristina, declared that the decision to extend the house arrest against Pantik had been taken due to the well-founded suspicion that Pantik had committed a “terrorist crime with complicity”.

In the statement made by the Court, “The Pre-Trial Judge has decided, taking into account the request of the Special Prosecutor of the Republic of Kosovo of 5 January, to continue the house arrest procedure for the accused DP for a period of two months. Consequently, the house arrest will continue until 9 March 2023.” Data included.

The statement also stipulated the right of the accused to appeal against the house arrest decision.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia

In response to the arrest of former Serbian police officer Dejan Pantic, Kosovo Serbs blocked the roads with barricades that they set up in northern Kosovo between 10 and 29 December 2022.

The Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had called for the lifting of the barriers set up in response to the arrest of Bantik in northern Kosovo after the arrest warrant turned into house arrest.

Serbia considers Kosovo, which unilaterally declared its independence in 2008, to be its territory.

Serbia and Kosovo, which clash periodically, are trying to find a common way to normalize relations, and eventually the two countries get to know each other, within the scope of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process initiated in 2011 with the mediation of the European Union.

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