Accusations against Belgrade of expropriating Albanian property in southern Serbia.

A resident of the Medveza region in southern Serbia, where Albanians are predominant, has reported an attempt to illegally seize his property and transfer it to a Serbian owner against the backdrop of ongoing issues related to the exclusion of Albanians from the civil registry, making them virtually deprived of legal rights.

Bakhram Lut, a resident of Switzerland, published an open letter detailing the transfer of a65-hectare plot of land to a Serbian citizen in a neighboring village. "A few weeks ago, we suddenly learned that all of the Lut family's property in Tupala, totaling about65 hectares, was transferred to a man named Pavle Drzhkovich from the village of Vrapce, Medveza," he wrote. Lut added that their family does not know this person and is concerned about the potentially illegal seizure of property that has been in their family for centuries. "We still cannot understand how this could have happened, except to conclude that, for personal gain, we, as the rightful and actual owners, were secretly removed from possession," he wrote.

In the letter, he explained that the property was first transferred to a distant and deceased relative, Velko Lutic, without the knowledge of 15 families claiming ownership of the land. After the initial transfer, Drzhkovic filed a lawsuit demanding the transfer of ownership based on maintenance and "won" the case with Lutic's signature, who had died before that. The land was then registered in the cadastre in the name of the new owner. "We would like to inform you that the Luta family has not sold any land... we, the Luta family, will not give up our ancestral holdings for any price," the letter continues.

This incident occurs in the context of what the Helsinki Committee calls "ethnic administrative cleansing" - the removal of Albanians from the civil registry, which renders them unable to vote, buy and sell property, send their children to school, be employed and pay taxes, receive benefits, or access medical care. Medveđa is located in the Preševo Valley, and over the past decade, more than 6,000 Albanians have been removed from the civil registry in such a way that has prompted demands from civil society and Albanian politicians to resolve the situation; however, the Serbian side has taken no action.

Albanians living in this region have requested to include the issue of their exclusion from the region in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, similar to the question of the Association of Serbian municipalities in northern Kosovo.

The research conducted by academician Flora Ferati Saxenmaer included testimonies from many residents and former residents, an analysis of historical voter lists, and a vast amount of official documents. The data shows that according to state statistics, the number of Albanians has decreased by 71% in some areas, although they still physically live there. Residents say that Serbian authorities sent government officials to check their addresses, but these individuals did not actually visit the addresses and instead reported that the area was empty. As a result, entire families were excluded from the civil registry without the possibility of appeal.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, recently stated that instead of proposing projects for the Association of Municipalities in Kosovo, the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, should use the same project to protect Albanians in southern Serbia. "Then I suggest that Rama present this project for the status of national minorities to Vucic at the next meeting on the 'Open Balkans' for Albanians in Presevo, Medvedja, and Bujanovac, as the Constitution asserts that the rights of Albanians must be protected beyond its borders," Kurti said.

In 2021, during a visit to the region, Rama stated that diplomatic power should be used to address issues related to Albanians in this area. He added that it is important to "demonstrate the comparison in how Serbs are treated in Kosovo and how citizens of Preševo treat Serbs. The contrast is enormous. Serbs in Kosovo have freedoms that any national minority would dream of."

Ferati shared the news about a recent event, saying: "Vucic's regime has started confiscating the property of Albanians in southern Serbia. I am familiar with the case of the Luta family because they are my distant relatives." (Alice Taylor | Exit.al)