Kosovo-Metohija organisations write to CoE over discrimination against Serbs

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - A group of civil society organisations from Serbia's Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija have written to Council of Europe (CoE) Human Rights Commissioner Michael O'Flaherty to urge him to visit the province and familiarise himself first hand with serious and systematic violations of the rights of non-majority communities, especially the Serbs.

In a letter, the organisations pointed to multiple cases of violations of rights guaranteed by a framework convention on protection of national minorities, including banning, and penalising the use of, national symbols, arrests over public expressions of political views and thwarting participation in political processes.

They also pointed to manipulations with electoral rolls, as well as to a systematic denial of the right to use one's language.

"We especially noted that, under the pretext of rule of law, a policy of discrimination and marginalisation targeting the Serb community is being pursued, which jeopardises the everyday life of citizens, spurs emigration and puts the survival of a multi-ethnic Kosovo in doubt," the letter said.

The signatories of the letter include the Youth Partisan Activity, Women's Right, the Women's Inclusive Centre, the Civic Activism Network, the New Social Initiative, the Institute for Territorial Economic Development, the Gracanica Institute for Public Research, the Mitrovica Humane Centre, Gracanica Online and others.