Kosovo urges migrants to bypass Serbia as OSCE reports war‑crime trial setbacks

Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has warned citizens and diaspora members planning to travel to Kosovo to avoid the Serbian border route, urging the use of alternative crossings. The appeal follows a surge in migrant traffic during the holiday season and follows the recent arrest of Osmam Selmani by Serbian authorities on suspicion of war‑crime offences dating to 1999, amid reports of repeated detentions and arrests of Kosovo citizens in Serbia.

The OSCE mission in Kosovo released its seven‑year monitoring report on war‑crime prosecutions, noting progress but flagging serious procedural challenges. Frequent case delays, problems with evidence collection and translation, limited witness availability and the fact that nearly all accused remain in pre‑trial detention were highlighted. OSCE chief Gerard McGurk described the document as “the most comprehensive analysis of war‑crime trials” and called for stronger safeguards for defendants, victims and witnesses to improve the credibility of the justice system.