Ethnic Minorities in Kosovo Still Lack Freedom of Movement

Ethnic Minorities in Kosovo Still Lack Freedom of Movement

PRISTINA, Kosovo -- "When I travel through Albanian areas, I use my Kosovo license plate and when I reach Serbia or I'm back in Strpce I change it [to the Serbian plate]," says Milorad, a small retail shop owner. "I need to take these precautions, I don't want to endanger my family," he says.

Milorad is from Strpce, one of the most southern Serb enclaves in the majority Albanian province of Kosovo. Strpce can only be reached by passing through a Kosovo Police Service (KPS) checkpoint and another manned by Ukrainian troops that are part of NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR).

Milorad travels every two or three months to Serbia with his wife and children to visit his parents, who fled Kosovo in the aftermath of the March 2004 riots. But he lives in fear, and every time he ventures outside his Serb enclave he switches license plates, a survival strategy employed by many Serbs.

Keep reading for free

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

Get instant access to the rest of this article by creating a free account below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:
Subscribe for an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review
  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.