Several hundred Serbs have protested in Gracanica, near Pristina, over the last week’s arrest of Serbs in Gnjilane, in eastern Kosmet, and the violence of the Kosovo police against Serb civilians during the arresting action.

The rally was organized by NGO European Movement of Serbs in Kosmet, and a letter addressed at EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and US State Secretary Hillary Clinton has been read there.

It warns of frequent vindictive actions of the Albanians in the Kosovo police against the Serb population, and points that the policemen of Serb nationality are never included in those actions.

After reading the letter, the Serbs have undertaken the protest walk to the Gracanica monastery.

Namely, on February 25, members of the Rosu special unit of the Kosovo police apprehended six Serbs in the region of the Gnjilane municipality, among who four are the employees of the Serbian Ministry of Interior – the police precinct of Gnjilane, relocated to Vranje in southern central Serbia, as well as retired registrar Mladen Dimitrijevic, charged with “attacking the legal order of Kosovo and obstructing the police in performing duty”.

The 30 day custody has been set for five detainees, and one person has been released.