Wrote: Festim Rizanaj
Three people, one Albanian and two Serbs, were injured in gunfire on Tuesday after midnight at a bar in Deçan.
In this case, the police have arrested a suspect, a Kosovo Albanian, seized the weapon and launched investigations for "causing general danger" and "serious bodily injury".
However, this case has been baselessly interpreted by the political entity of Kosovo Serbs, the Serbian List, as well as by the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, as ethnically motivated, linking it to, according to them, "years of building an anti-Serb atmosphere promoted by the 'regime in Pristina', through public appearances, political messages and lack of responsibility for attacks on Serbs."
What happened in Decani?
On Tuesday at around 00:18, three people – two Serbs and one Albanian – were injured in a shooting at a bar on “Luan Haradinaj” Street in Deçan. The two injured (one Serb and one Albanian) are being treated at UCCK, while the third, from the Serbian community, is being treated at Peja Hospital.
The news was confirmed to the media by the Kosovo Police spokesman for the Peja region, Fadil Gashi, who said: "The Deçan Police was notified of gunfire in a bar. The units immediately went to the scene and noticed three injured people, one from the Albanian community and two Serbs". He stressed that the suspect was arrested at the scene, who he said had his weapon and ammunition confiscated, while by decision of the prosecutor he was sent to detention for 48 hours. (here)
Regarding the motives of the incident, the Kosovo Police have announced that they are still unknown, while police units said they are working to fully clarify the circumstances and motives that led to the incident.
Reactions from Serbian institutions and officials: Ethnically motivated attack as part of ongoing violence against Kosovo Serbs
The reactions of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia and the Serbian List present the incident in Deçan as an ethnically motivated attack, linking it to, according to them, the ongoing threat against Serbs and a “dangerous policy” of the Kosovo institutions. These reactions claim that the case is a consequence of an anti-Serb atmosphere built over the years by the institutions in Pristina, through political messages and the lack of responsibility for the attacks on the Serbian community.
According to the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government and the Serbian List party, the two Serbs were shot "only because they were Serbs", describing the victims as Serbs displaced since 1999. (here)
The Serbian List has stated that “this attack shows that Serbs in Kosovo are exposed to a constant threat and that violence against them is no longer an exception, but a consequence of a dangerous policy that is being systematically implemented.” (here)
In addition to the reactions of the Office for Kosovo and the Serbian List, Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic also strongly condemned the event in Deçan, describing it as “ethnically motivated” and not an isolated incident. He stressed that the case is part of, according to him, “continuous violence against Serbs” in Kosovo and that international missions with a mandate for peace and security in Kosovo have an obligation to protect the Serbian population. (here)
The reactions of Serbian officials and institutions to the attack in Deçan have also been widely reported in Serbian-language media. These reports emphasized the interpretation that the incident was ethnically motivated, allegedly part of a series of violence and threats against Serbs in Kosovo, and cited statements by the Serbian List, the Office for Kosovo, and Justice Minister Nenad Vujić, presenting them as concerns for the security and rights of the Serb community. (here, here, here)
Meanwhile, the motive for the attack has not yet been determined by the country's security and justice institutions themselves.
Analyze:
Three people, one Albanian and two Serbs, were injured in the shooting incident in Decani.
The Kosovo Police, as well as the Prosecution, have issued a statement regarding this case, stating that the motives for this case are unknown.
However, Serbian officials and institutions baselessly interpreted it as an ethnically motivated attack and a consequence of Kosovo's "anti-Serbian policy."
Therefore, based on its work methodology, hibrid.info evaluates this claim as a "conspiracy theory".
Reasoning:
"Conspiracy theories" are considered to be informational content that contains a false or unverifiable description of a phenomenon, event or person, presenting it as part or the result of a secret plan ("conspiracy"). The characteristic of these contents is that they present a series of claims, presented as facts, between which cause-effect relationships are established, without providing any reliable evidence.