Serbia claims Popovic pleaded guilty “under pressure” to inciting division and intolerance in Kosovo
Express newspaper
09/08/2025 13:33
Serbia’s Justice Ministry said on Saturday that Serbian government official Igor Popovic signed an agreement with Kosovo prosecutors “under pressure, and not of his own free will” to plead guilty to inciting discord and intolerance. Radio Free Europe writes
“We emphasize that the signing and use of plea agreements in such a case serves exclusively as a means of additional stigmatization of the Serbian people and strengthening political control, and not as an instrument of the rule of law,” the Serbian Ministry said.
She provided no evidence to support the claim that Popovic pleaded guilty under pressure.
The Basic Court in Pristina sentenced Popović on Friday to six months in prison for inciting discord and intolerance, a sentence that was replaced with a fine of 3.000 euros, and banned him from entering Kosovo for two years.
Popovic – who is the assistant director of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government – had reached an agreement with the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office to plead guilty to inciting and spreading hatred and intolerance between ethnic groups, during a speech given in Hoca e Madhe, Rahovec/Orahovac on July 18.
During that speech, Popović, among other things, called the Kosovo Liberation Army a “terrorist organization.”
Popovic himself admitted to the judge several times on Friday that he was behind the plea agreement and that he had signed the agreement without any pressure.
In a statement on Saturday, the Serbian Ministry claimed that the trial against Popovic was “a violation of international law and a direct attack on the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Serbian people.”
“Therefore, the Republic of Serbia will use all legal and political means to protect Igor Popović and expose this grave injustice to the international community,” the statement said.
She said that the plea agreement “does not produce legal effect in the legal order of Serbia.”
“In addition, the agreement itself is invalid, because it was concluded under pressure and in conditions of violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by Resolution 1244 and the UN Charter on Human Rights,” according to the lawyer.
The ministry called on international missions “operating in Kosovo”, as well as representatives of the European Union, to “react urgently”.
Popović was arrested on July 18 at the Brnjak border crossing, which connects Kosovo with Serbia, after his speech in Hoça e Madhe, Rahovec.
After 48 hours of police detention, Popović was sentenced to one month in pre-trial detention. His lawyer appealed the decision, but the second instance of the judiciary upheld the decision of the Basic Court on July 31.
The prosecution accused him of intentionally inciting and publicly spreading hatred and intolerance between ethnic groups during a speech given in Hoca e Madhe, Rahovec.
Serbian officials have also raised the issue of Popović’s arrest during meetings with the ambassadors of Russia and China, accredited to Serbia, but also with the head of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.
After the detention of Popović, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić warned Kosovo of “unforeseen consequences.” This statement was seen as a threat by Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
Officials in Kosovo have said they will not tolerate the insult and desecration of history and the war led by the KLA.
The KLA was a political-military force that fought for the liberation of Kosovo from Serbian rule in the period 1990-1999.
During the war in Kosovo in 1998/99, more than 13.000 civilians were killed, while thousands more went missing.
Around 1.600 people, mostly Albanians, have not yet been found.
Over the years, justice authorities in Kosovo have charged or convicted several individuals for war crimes. /REL/