Pristina court bans Serbian flags in Gracanica ahead of Vidovdan; Serb List: Municipality will appeal

Photo: Pristina / Foto: Shutterstock

The Basic Court in Pristina has issued a ruling annulling the decision of the Municipality of Gracanica (a Serb enclave in Kosovo and Metohija) regarding the permission to display the Serbian flag on the occasion of Vidovdan, (June 28, major Serb holiday).

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For this reason, the Serb List released a statement today saying that the competent authorities of the Municipality of Gracanica will file an appeal against that decision.

The Serb List wants the same court react to the display of the flag of the country of Albania in the plenary hall of the Pristina Assembly, something done by Albin Kurti - when no official from Albania is present or is a guest of the Assembly.

"We demand that the Basic Court in Pristina acts according to the same principles and apply its own reasoning in cases related to the Albanian flag - especially bearing in mind that Serb List deputies years ago submitted a proposals to legally define Vidovdan as a holiday of the Serb people, which is being persistently blocked in parliament," the statement said.

It is added that the decision made by the Basic Court in Pristina is nothing more than another indicator of the attitude of the regime in Pristina towards the Serb people, as well as that the timing of that decision is directly related to the scheduled local elections and represents an attempt to score cheap political points.

The court in Pristina said previously that "allowing the display of the flag of another country (Serbia), except in cases provided by law, can be understood as a symbolic act of dual sovereignty or political self-organization, which violates the constitutional order."

"This is particularly important in the context of ethnic and political sensitivities in Kosovo. Any such permit without a legal basis could set a dangerous precedent for undermining the legal order and national unity. The decision of the Municipality of Gracanica seriously threatens public order and inter-community coexistence," said the court.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)