PRISHTINA, June 13 /ATA/ – The Prosecutor’s Office in Mitrovica has filed an indictment against Slavko Simić, a member of Kosovo Assembly from the Serb List party, over his alleged involvement in attacks on journalists during a protest in Leposavić, the country’s north, in June 2023.
Although the accused was officially identified only by initials, Radio Free Europe has reported that the individual in question is MP Simić.
He is charged with “participation in a crowd committing a criminal offense and hooliganism,” according to the indictment.
The charges stem from a protest on June 16, 2023, during a visit to Leposavić by Elbert Krasniqi, now Acting Minister of Local Government Administration. Prosecutors allege that Simić deliberately joined a crowd of more than eight people, and that when the minister exited the municipal building, masked civilians began throwing stun grenades at his official vehicle. After the car passed, Simić is accused of instructing the crowd to “attack the journalists.”
According to the prosecution, the group initially threw stun grenades at journalists, followed by physical assaults using punches, kicks, blunt objects, concrete bricks, paint, and other projectiles. Two journalists sustained serious injuries in the attack.
The June 16 attack was widely condemned by both domestic political leaders and the United States.
Journalists in Leposavić and other Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo faced several attacks and acts of violence in 2023 while covering protests against elected ethnic Albanian mayors. The elections were boycotted by Serb parties and the local Serb population following the withdrawal of Serb municipal leaders.
The protests erupted when the new mayors attempted to enter municipal buildings to assume office. Tensions escalated sharply on May 29 in Zvečan, where clashes broke out between Serb protesters and NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping troops, leaving dozens of soldiers and demonstrators injured.
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