Support rallies were held on Thursday morning outside several Serbian funded health and education institutions in central Kosovo, following the arrest of seven directors from local institutions.
According to Radio Kim, employees gathered in front of institutions in Gračanica, Lipljan and Gušterica at around 9 a.m. In Gračanica, staff at the Clinical Hospital Center Pristina, which operates with a temporary seat in the town, briefly stopped work for about 30 minutes. No speeches were made and no formal demands were presented during the gathering.
Similar rallies were also held in front of the local health center, the secondary school center and the “Miladin Mitić” elementary school in Laplje Selo. Radio Kim reported that gatherings also took place in Lipljan and Donja Gušterica.
The arrested directors are expected to appear before a court in Pristina during the day, as their 48 hour police detention period is set to expire.
The seven directors of education and health institutions in central Kosovo were detained over allegations, cited by the Basic Prosecutor’s Office, that they attempted to influence voters.
Kosovo’s Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla welcomed the arrests, while the move was condemned by the Serbian List, the Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija director Petar Petković, and Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dačić.
The developments come ahead of the campaign for Kosovo’s snap parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 7.
