Protest held in Kosovo-Metohija over arrest of five Serbs

PASJANE - Several thousand Serbs from the Kosovsko Pomoravlje region gathered at a peaceful protest rally in the Kosovo-Metohija village of Pasjane on Monday over a recent arrest of five Serbs for alleged war crimes.

The protesters held banners that read "We want KFOR to protect us," "Arrested but not guilty", "They are arresting us to expel all Serbs," "Europe, why are you silent in the face of the plight of Serbs?" and "We are subjected to terror on a daily basis, while the world remains silent."

A grandson of Dragan Cvetkovic, who has a 90 per cent disability after being wounded by ethnic Albanians years ago, carried a banner reading: "Kurti, release my grandfather, my grandfather is no killer."

Some protesters wore shirts that read: "You are arresting us because we are Serbs - No surrender."

Cvetkovic's son Jovan, who is a Serbian Orthodox priest, said residents had gathered to provide consolation and encouragement to the mothers, sisters and children of the arrestees and to pray to God together.

"And to also pray for our enemies so that the Lord may deter them from violence against the Orthodox population. They came here with a clear intent to intimidate us and to tell us that we do not belong here. We are not scared, but all the more encouraged," he said.

Vasilije Sosic, whose son Milos is one of the arrestees, said the protest rally was not a sign of support only to the arrested Serbs but to the survival of the entire Serb population in Kosovo-Metohija.

He pleaded with the president of Serbia and international representatives to help ensure a release of the arrested Serbs.

The so-called Kosovo Police arrested five Serbs for alleged war crimes on Saturday.

Dragan Nicic, Slobodan Jevtic, Dragan Cvetkovic and Milos Sosic were arrested in Pasjane while Nenad Stojanovic was arrested in the Bosce village near Kosovska Kamenica.

They have been placed in 30-day custody and their defence attorneys said the accusations of suspected war crimes were unfounded and that the decision to place them in custody would be appealed.