The use of excessive force against a Russian diplomat, an employee of the UN mission in Kosovo, Mikhail Krasnoshchekov, on May 28 by the Kosovo police is unacceptable and cannot be justified, said special representative of the UN secretary general and head of the Organization’s mission in Kosovo, Zahir Tanin.
“The arrest and detention of UNMIK employees in the line of duty, as well as the initiation of a criminal case, clearly violated their immunity from arrest, detention and trial. The use of excessive force, interference with the mission’s ownership and the continuation of criminal proceedings against both employees is a clear violation of the legal framework including UNSC resolution 1244, the provision on UNMIK and international human rights law, “he said, reading out the facts from the group’s report at a meeting of the UNSC on Kosovo to investigate this incident.
On the morning of May 28, Kosovo special forces units entered the territory of four communities in which Serbs live. The action, which, according to eyewitnesses and journalists, was accompanied by excessive use of force, involved 73 special vehicles. The detention of about 30 people was reported, among the detainees were police officers. Representatives of the Kosovo authorities said that in the north of the region there was an action against organized crime, which was approved by the Pristina prosecutor’s office.
Krasnoshchekov was beaten and detained near the barricades in the area of the operation of the Kosovo special forces in the Zubin Potok community in the north of the region.
According to the Kosovo side, Krasnoshchekov was near the barricades along with the Serbs, who interfered with the operation of the Kosovo special forces.
The Serbian media, in turn, reported that Kosovo commandos beat Krasnoshchekov for speaking the Serbian language.