‼️The Severe Ill-Treatment of Nenad Rašković Requires an Urgent Independent Investigation and an End to Police Repression against Serbs‼️ Statement of the Serbian OrthodoxDiocese of Raška and Prizren; Gračanica, 12 August 2026 eparhija-prizren.com/en/stat…

(1/2) Demolitions of Serb-owned buildings at Gazivode Lake by Kosovo authorities continue despite pending court cases, raising concerns over stability in northern Kosovo (Overview based on media sources) Demolitions of Serb-owned properties around Gazivode/Ujman Lake in northern Kosovo have intensified in recent weeks, with authorities removing at least 17 buildings—including holiday homes, a family house, and the well-known Motel/Hotel Jezero—while owners and international observers raise alarms over due process and property rights. The public water management company Ibar-Lepenac (Ibër-Lepenci), supported by Kosovo Police and the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, has carried out the operations. Officials describe the structures as illegally built without permits on public land managed or owned by the company, which holds cadastral records stemming from historical expropriations linked to the construction of the Gazivode dam and reservoir in the 1970s under the former Yugoslavia. The lake is a strategic asset supplying drinking water, supporting electricity generation, and enabling irrigation. Acting Minister Fitore Pacolli stated on 30 July 2026 that 17 buildings or villas around the lake had been demolished so far and that the campaign “will continue without compromise” and expand to other parts of Kosovo “to protect public property and ensure law enforcement.” Director Faruk Mujka of Ibar-Lepenac has similarly framed the actions as reclaiming usurped property after field verifications and review of cadastral archives. Timeline and Method of Enforcement Notices began appearing in April 2026, giving owners 15 days to vacate plots the company claims as its own and restore them to their previous condition. Demolitions started on 26 June with several cottages in the Čečevo settlement, assisted by police (with EULEX and KFOR presence noted as monitors in some cases). A further wave on 21 July removed 11 more holiday homes. On 29–30 July, workers demolished the Jezero hotel complex, a longstanding recreational facility, after the expiry of a similar notice served earlier in the month. Owners report that heavy machinery arrived with police accompaniment, sometimes with short notice to clear belongings. The Municipality of Zubin Potok, the local Serb-majority authority, has stated it was neither consulted nor issued demolition permits. Serbian officials and local leaders have characterised the operations as lacking court orders or enforceable administrative titles. Why the Properties Are Deemed Illegal Under Kosovo institutions, the land parcels are registered to Ibar-Lepenac following the original expropriations for the reservoir. Structures erected earlier—often over decades by Kosovo Serb families—are viewed as unauthorised constructions on public property. Some owners hold 99-year contracts or leases concluded with entities such as Srbijašume (the Serbian forestry enterprise) in the mid-2000s or earlier arrangements tolerated under previous administrative frameworks in the north. These are now not recognised as valid construction or ownership titles by Pristina. Authorities emphasise that the same standards apply wherever the company’s infrastructure is located, though current focus and demolitions are concentrated in the Serb-majority north. Many of the buildings date from periods when previous Serbian institutions operated or when Kosovo’s post-1999 and post-independence cadastral and permitting systems had limited reach in the north. Long-standing use created what some legal observers describe as legitimate expectations of eventual regularisation.👉 #HumanRights #Demolitions #Kosovo