Kosovo: Directors of Serbian Institutions Released from Custody

Directors of seven Serbian institutions in the Gračanica area of Kosovo have been released from custody, with the obligation to report to the police until June 19. The Basic Court in Pristina had ordered up to 30 days of detention for the directors on May 21. They are suspected of influencing voters in the June 7 elections in Kosovo.

Those released include Milica Dimić, Boban Petrović, Nebojša Rašić, Bratislav Lazić, Saša Mladenović, Mirjana Dimitrijević, and Ljubiša Karadžić. They will defend themselves while free but must report to the police. Another individual, Aleksandar Trajković from Ugljare, also faces a one-month detention for suspected voter influence. Additionally, two Serbs arrested on election day in Goraždevac were placed under house arrest.

“

They were released from custody and have an obligation to report to the police station until June 19 of this year.

The detentions had prompted daily peaceful protests by workers from health and education institutions operating under the Serbian government's system in the Gračanica municipality, who demanded the directors' release. The court's decision to release them on bail with reporting obligations marks a shift in the legal proceedings.

“

They were released by order of the Basic Court and will defend themselves from freedom, but with the obligation to report to the police.