Serbia introduces in Kosovo cameras of companies that are on the black list of America

Serbia, through the parallel institutions it has in Kosovo, has bought the video surveillance system of the Chinese company that is under the sanctions of the United States of America (USA), dedicated to schools in 12 municipalities of Kosovo, learns Radio Free Europe (RFE).

As can be seen from the documentation, the video surveillance systems of the Chinese brand Dahua, which Serbia procured for schools in Kosovo, also have the option of face recognition.

According to the US Department of Commerce, Dahua Technology is a Chinese company, which, since 2019, is on the US blacklist due to its connection with human rights violations and the Chinese campaign of repression against Uighurs in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.

On December 16, the Provisional Body of the Municipality of Gjilan in Kosovo, an institution managed by Serbian structures and recognized by the Kosovo authorities as a parallel institution, entered into a contract for the procurement of this video-surveillance system with Neva Company 2020 DOO, based in Ranilug / Ranillug, also a Serb-majority municipality in Kosovo.

Under the contract, the company has undertaken to deliver, install and put into operation the video surveillance equipment within 30 days.

As can be seen from the documentation, the funds were provided by a decision of the “Office for Kosovo” of the Government of Serbia. The value of the signed contract is about 39 thousand euros (4,587,480 dinars).

What is being procured?

As can be seen from the procurement specification document, which is part of a wider package published on the official public procurement portal in Serbia, the Provisional Authority of the Municipality of Gjilan is procuring 30 eight-channel Dahua DVR recorders.

The characteristics of this system, among others, emphasize “face recognition”.

As explained, this is a “typical technology”, which is used in various applications and enables the search or identification of individuals.

Also, the object of public procurement are 196 pieces of Dahua Bullet Camera, with a resolution of five megapixels, 30 hard drives and 9 thousand meters of cable.

As seen there, equipment is also being purchased for a total of 30 facilities, including preschools, primary and secondary schools in 12 municipalities in Kosovo.

Until the publication of this text, the “Office for Kosovo” of the Government of Serbia has not responded to questions from Radio Free Europe whether it has notified the Kosovo authorities of the procurement, where exactly the monitoring equipment will be located and for what purpose it will be used.

Serbia continues to allocate tens of millions of euros a year from its budget to finance parallel institutions and to carry out its activities in Kosovo.

Kosovo declared its independence in 2008, but authorities in Serbia refuse to recognize it as a state.

Why is procurement controversial?

China’s Dahua Technology is among the companies that are under US sanctions.

As it is said, the American authorities have stated in 2019 that Dahua is among the companies on the list that is forbidden to do business with American companies.

“Specifically, these entities are involved in human rights violations and abuses in the Chinese campaign of repression, arbitrary mass detention and high-tech surveillance of Uighurs, Kazakhs and other members of Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang,” said the US department of Trade, in October 2019, Bloomberg reports.

Kosovo maintains strong diplomatic relations with the United States, which were among the first to recognize the country’s independence.

What do the authorities in Kosovo say?

Kosovo institutions are mostly silent on Radio Free Europe’s questions about the import of Dahua brand video surveillance, which is on the American black list.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo (MIA) responded briefly, saying that “at the moment, we have no information on this issue.”

The Government and the Kosovo Police have not responded to this issue, until the publication of this text.

Radio Free Europe also addressed the Kosovo Customs with questions whether the Dahua cameras are on the black list, what is the procedure for importing this type of video surveillance and whether Kosovo follows the US black list in terms of technology. However, the answer did not come.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the Government of Kosovo say that most educational institutions in Kosovo are equipped with video surveillance, but that there is no special law that regulates this issue.

Who can install cameras in institutions in Kosovo?

On the other hand, the Kosovo Information and Privacy Agency (IPA) emphasizes that video surveillance, which identifies individuals, should not be placed in any institution and that only the police have the right to use them “in special cases”.

It is an independent agency responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Law on Personal Data Protection, in order to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals.

This agency says that they have issued a permit for the installation of CCTV cameras in schools in Kosovo, but emphasize that such cameras are safe, because the image can not be transmitted on the phone or any other device.

“They are installed only for security and only in the corridors (of schools) and in front of them”, say from IPA.

However, as they say, they do not know if they are used, and if, which cameras are used in schools in Serb-populated areas, which work according to the Serbian system, because so far they have not had staff to monitor this issue.

“The Assembly of Kosovo, at the end of July has appointed a commissioner (for the Serb community) within the Agency, while for inspection we go only if we receive a complaint,” they said, adding that a regular inspection is planned in it all institutions throughout Kosovo.

Mentor Vrajolli, executive director of the Kosovo Center for Security Studies, tells Radio Free Europe that it is difficult at the moment to assess what impact Chinese Dahua cameras could have on Kosovo. He considers that Kosovo should now identify the channel of communication between Kosovo Serbs and other countries, whose products are sanctioned by the US.

He emphasizes that Serbia, through the “Serbian List”, is achieving its goals in Kosovo and estimates that this leading party of Kosovo Serbs, least cares about the interests of its community.

The Serbian List was formed with the support of Belgrade and is close to the Serbian Progressive Party of the current President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic.

Vrajolli considers that Kosovo should definitely follow the American black list and adds that such lists “are not always a bad thing for the region”.

“People on the blacklist are a threat to the rule of law, they are linked to corruption and organized crime. In some cases, they also promote political instability “, says Vrajolli, adding that the US fights against such persons and states, precisely by imposing sanctions.

The chairman of the Belgrade-funded provisional municipal body in Gjilan, Sasa Milosevic, was not available for a statement on the procurement of Chinese-branded video surveillance Dahua.

Davor Petkovic, the head of the Anamorava District of Kosovo, a parallel institution that includes the municipality of Gjilan and operates in the Serbian system, did not respond either.

Company registered in Serbia, not in Kosovo

Neva Company 2020 DOO, with which the contract for procurement and installation of video surveillance systems was concluded, was registered with the Business Registration Agency of Serbia on September 10, 2021, just three months before it was awarded through public procurement.

The website of the Agency states that its headquarters are in Ranilug, Kosovo.

But, this company is not registered in Kosovo.

Radio Free Europe contacted Milos Djordjevic from Ranilug / Ranillug, who confirmed that he is the owner of this company, although the register in Serbia states that the owner is Milena Djordjevic.

Milos Djordjevic did not want to give any additional information, saying that he was busy and that he would answer questions via e-mail. Until the publication of this text, he has not returned the answer.

On the website of the Kosovo Business Registration Agency, it can be seen that Milos Djordjevic is also the owner of the company P.T.P. “DZNET” in Ranillug, which deals with service and sale of technology.

The Business Registration Agency operates within the Kosovo Ministry of Trade and Industry and is the only institution responsible for registering business entities in Kosovo.

State Department for RFE: For responsible use of technology

The State Department, in response to a question from Radio Free Europe, said it was working to develop principles for the responsible use of surveillance technology, in cooperation with partners and allies.

“The United States is working with allies and partners in the initiative to develop principles for the responsible use of government oversight technology, in line with our shared democratic values ​​and respect for human rights,” said the written statement for Radio Free Europe.

The State Department states that the United States “remains committed to promoting respect for the human rights of members of minority groups.”

Long relations between Serbia and China

Unlike European Union (EU) countries, which condemn China for violating the human rights of Uighurs, Serbia has remained close to official Beijing on the international stage, which denies allegations of torture against Uighurs.

Xinjiang is China’s largest autonomous province, home to 25 million people and where more than half are predominantly ethnic Muslim minority groups. The largest group is the Uighur Turkish population.

Chinese persecution of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang has escalated in recent years. It is estimated that more than one million people have been detained in labor camps and there is growing evidence of re-education programs, restrictions on religious and cultural freedoms, forced labor programs, mass surveillance and forced sterilization of women.

International reports also revealed that thousands of Uighurs were transferred to work in factories across China, under conditions that “strongly suggest forced labor.”

Serbia is part of the Chinese state initiative “Belt and Road” with Central and Eastern European countries (17 + 1) for the reopening of western trade channels that follow the ancient Silk Road in order for China to supply its economy.

Serbia’s close relations with China and Russia have often been criticized by EU and US officials, sending a clear message that Serbia will need to harmonize its foreign policy with the other 27 member states in the process of European integration.

These relationships also include Wise Cities, a Chinese government project based on the widespread use of modern information and telecommunications technologies that detect, analyze, and then integrate all key information related to the operation of a city.

However, “smart cities” include a problematic system of “improving” public safety, which provides camera surveillance for facial recognition.

The realization of the development of “Smart Cities” started in Belgrade in the first half of 2019 and predicts that by 2021, in 800 locations will be installed more than 1000 surveillance cameras, equipped with face recognition technology.

The cameras were purchased by the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs – as part of a project called “Safe City” – from the Chinese company Huawei, also under US sanctions.