Kosovars targeted: Arrests, abductions, and total insecurity during transit in Serbia

Tefik Mustafa, a citizen of Kosovo and Italy, returned to Kosovo after more than a year in Serbian detention physically and emotionally broken.

His family reports that he is now in Switzerland, receiving treatment for vision problems and a nervous breakdown, direct consequences of the harsh conditions in the Serbian prison.

“They forced him to make his last phone call to the family in Serbian. Then, for 79 days, they did not allow any contact,” said his son, Qamili Mustafa, to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Tefik was detained on June 1, 2024, at the Merdare border crossing during a transit journey to Slovenia. He was accused of organizing the kidnapping of three Serbian police officers in 1999, an allegation the family considers unfounded. After 13 months of detention and a symbolic one-year sentence, he was released and declared innocent.

Qamili Mustafa says that during his time in prison, his father suffered serious damage to his eyesight due to the dark environment, while the family had to sell property and incur significant debt to pay Serbian lawyers.

This case is one of several similar incidents in recent years, where Kosovo citizens have been detained by Serbian authorities during transit travel. Sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora (MFAD) of Kosovo confirm that, as of 2025, six detention cases and one alleged abduction have been recorded.

Some of the detainees this year include:

Arbnor Spahiu – detained in June on suspicion of “serious murder”; released on November 21.

Lulzim Halili – detained in July, accused of “war crimes”; remains in custody.

Sasha Gjorgjević – detained in July on suspicion of “collaboration with Albania’s intelligence service (SHISH) via the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (AKI)”; remains in custody.

Behar Preniqi – detained in August as a “suspected KLA member”; remains in custody.

Hazir Haziri – detained in September on suspicion of “war crimes”; remains in custody.

Avni Qenaj – detained in November for “war crimes”; received one month of pretrial detention.

Another concerning case is Millan Vukashinoviq allegedly abducted by the Serbian gendarmerie in Leposavić on November 1.

Kosovar lawyers note that official statistics are “relatively inaccurate” and that many citizens have become “political collateral” due to tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. Arianit Koci, involved in several cases, says that Serbia “deliberately delays legal procedures” and uses these detentions as a tool of political pressure.

Political experts note that these arrests often occur when tensions between the two countries rise and serve as a political message. Behxhet Shala from the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms in Kosovo emphasized: “Any illegal detention is a violation of human rights, and the damage to the individual is irreparable.”

Serbian political analyst Ognjen Gogiq points out that the lack of political dialogue has deepened legal uncertainty: “Without cooperation between the two judicial systems, citizens will continue to face insecurity, never knowing what awaits them when entering the territory of the other side.”

The MFAD has repeatedly this year urged Kosovar citizens to avoid traveling through Serbia, stressing that “Serbia does not provide minimal safety for the physical and legal integrity of Kosovo citizens, particularly Albanians.”

This trend of detentions and mistreatment highlights ongoing tensions between the two countries and the legal uncertainty Kosovar citizens face during transit travel in Serbia./TheGeopost.