The Government Office for Kosovo has today published a statement by its head, Petar Petkovic, who claims that the arrest of three members of the Serbian community is being carried out with the aim of "expelling Serbs from Kosovo."
He made these statements during a press conference, adding that these arrests, or as he calls them, "kidnappings are being carried out exclusively on the orders of Kurti, who wants to expel the Serbian people from Kosovo. It is an example of ethnic cleansing."
After verifying the facts, hibrid.info has found that Petkovic's claim is not based on facts, and furthermore, the Kosovo Police has announced that the arrest was made for the criminal offense of "War crimes against the civilian population".
Link to the article published on the Office's website:
https://kim.gov.rs/v5317.php?fbclid=IwAR2fKbIwcdg_uwycr0KmzGDejLKV6Not4mkWtDQ_lus5nRicYzVM1u0H2zI
Although he refers to a claim that the arrests were made on the orders of Prime Minister Albin Kurti with the aim of expelling Serbs from Kosovo, Petkovic does not argue it with any fact, which could be any document or other type of evidence.
From what Petkovic has stated, it is clear that there is a constructed narrative, but without any facts to support it.
The claim that the main goal of official Pristina is "the expulsion of Serbs from their settlements in Kosovo" is part of the disinformation narrative, which is brought by Serbian state officials and media outlets close to the government there.
Such claims have been made in the past by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić and others. (here, here, here)
Furthermore, regarding the incident, the Kosovo Police announced that, by order of the Special Prosecution, three members of the Serbian community have been arrested for war crimes against the civilian population. (here)
"Pristina, September 20, 2023 - By order of the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo, the Kosovo Police today arrested three (3) persons of Serbian nationality for the criminal offense of ''War crimes against the civilian population''.
The Special Prosecution announces that the three (3) arrested are charged with the criminal offense of 'War crimes against the civilian population, actions sanctioned under Articles 142 and 22 of the Criminal Code of the SFRY, currently penalized under Articles 31 and 153 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo, in violation of Article 3 common to the 4 Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, Articles 4 and 5 (1) of Protocol 2 of 08 June 1977, additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, all rules of international law in force at the time of the armed conflict in Kosovo and at all times relevant to the current decision, local laws, customs of war and the International Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols.
"By decision of the Prosecutor of the Special Prosecution Office, the three arrested have been sent to detention for 48 hours."
Analyze:
Petkovic does not offer any explanation for the claim that the arrest of three members of the Serbian community is intended to "expell Serbs from Kosovo."
Furthermore, the Kosovo Police announced that the arrest occurred for war crimes against the civilian population.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info considers this claim to be a "conspiracy theory".
Rating:
"Conspiracy theories" are media reports that disseminate a false or unverifiable description of a phenomenon, event, or person, presenting it as part of or the result of a secret plan ("conspiracy"). A characteristic of these reports is that they present a series of claims, presented as facts, between which cause-effect relationships are established, without providing any credible evidence.