Djuric: Fundamental rights of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs systemically eroded

NEW YORK - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Tuesday in New York the fundamental human rights of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija were not only being ignored but systemically eroded, piece by piece.

Addressing a UN Security Council session on the latest semi-annual report on the work of UNMIK, the UN mission in Kosovo-Metohija, Djuric said Serbia commended UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's report as a "modest but meaningful step forward, balanced ground truth reporting on the situation in Kosovo-Metohija."

"We deeply value UNMIK's role in upholding international law, protecting vulnerable communities and maintaining stability in the face of growing pressure. But let us not mince words: any report falls short of capturing the full horror unfolding daily. This is no abstract crisis, it is the shattering of human lives and the tearing apart of families gripped by terror and children robbed of innocence in the 21st century," Djuric said.

He noted that the regime of Pristina's caretaker PM Albin Kurti had "shuttered 128 vital institutions in Serb-majority areas, services for education, health care, social protection, postal delivery pensions and jobs."

Even the Red Cross in Kosovo-Metohija has been targeted, Djuric said, noting that this was a "flagrant violation" of International Red Cross and Red Crescent principles.

"As the secretary general's report itself records, quote: 'Kosovo authorities continued closing Serbia-run institutions, including the pension and disability insurance fund, the national employment service in Leposavic, the city library and the premises of the city museum in northern Mitrovica, the branch of the Serbian Red Cross in Zubin Potok and a sports hall in Leposavic,'" he said.

"The report further notes that, quote, 'international actors criticised these closures for impeding access to services and facilities by residents and affecting their social, economic and cultural rights,'" he added.

Djuric began his address by quoting the words of Nelson Mandela: "To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity."

"Those words echo with painful clarity today as we speak about Kosovo-Metohija, where the fundamental rights of Serbs are not merely being ignored, they are being systemically eroded, piece by piece. What we are witnessing is not an abstract political dispute but a human struggle for dignity, security and survival," he added.

He thanked Guterres and UNMIK deputy head Milbert Dongjoon Shin "for this report and for their unwavering commitment to fulfilling UNMIK's mandate under UNSCR 1244."

He said that Serbia expressed "profound gratitude to each and every member of the UNMIK mission, who, despite severe constraints, limited resources and a hostile environment, tirelessly safeguard peece, security and human rights in Kosovo-Metohija."

Djuric also commended the former UNMIK head, Caroline Ziadeh, for her "dedicated service."

"This year, as we mark 80 years since the founding of the UN, a beacon of hope forged from the ashes of humanity's darkest war, we are reminded of its solemn promise: Never again," Djuric also said.

"Yet, on the sovereign soil of a UN member state, that promise is being tested. Kosovo-Metohija is enduring ethnically driven attacks, relentless persecution, arbitrary arrests, brazen usurpation and unchecked violence. A direct challenge to the principles of the UN," he noted.

Djuric also said that more than 20 per cent of Serbs had left Kosovo-Metohija in the past several years, while the reporting period registered only 17 voluntary returns.

He also said more than 230,000 people had been displaced from the Serbian province since 1999.