Belgrade, 15 August 2024 (MIA) – Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dačić, requested an explanation from the Macedonian authorities regarding the escape of former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Blerim Ramadani, from house arrest, stating that his escape is scandalous, BETA reported.

“This individual is a member of the terrorist KLA who committed crimes against Serbs in Kosovo, and whom Serbia is seeking with a warrant in order to bring him to justice. We are asking for an explanation from the authorities of North Macedonia as to how it is possible for someone who was arrested based on our internationally valid warrant to escape from house arrest. Or, does international justice not apply to Albanian terrorists and war criminals? When they kill Serbs, are they allowed and forgiven for everything?” Dačić said.

Earlier, the Macedonian Ministry of Interior confirmed that Blerim Ramadani, a former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) from Kosovo, who was arrested last month at the Kosovo-Macedonian border on the basis of an Interpol warrant issued at the request of Serbia, has escaped from house arrest at the home of his relatives in the country.

“A competent judicial body sent documents to the Interior Ministry to issue a central arrest warrant for B.R. because at this point, he is not available to the law enforcement bodies. The Ministry is taking measures to find the person,” the Interior Ministry confirmed to MIA. 

After being arrested on July 17 at the Jazhince border crossing, Ramadani was placed in 30-day extradition detention in a Skopje jail. The content of the arrest warrant is based on Serbia’s suspicion that Ramadani, as a former KLA soldier, committed war crimes in the Nerodime region.

On August 1, a court ordered house arrest for Ramadani until August 16 in Skopje.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić during a visit to the Tabanovce border crossing on July 25 called on the Skopje authorities to extradite Ramadani to Serbia. The issue of his extradition was also discussed during the July 31 visit of Kosovo’s Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla to Skopje. He said Skopje should make decisions independently, accusing Serbia of having tendencies to damage the relations between Western Balkan countries.

According to Kosovo media, Ramadani is the third Kosovo citizen, as a former KLA soldier, to be arrested in North Macedonia based on a Serbian warrant. Gafur Dugolli and Tomor Morina were previously arrested, but they were released by court decision.

Photo: MIA archive