In an attempt to protect him, Serbia denies Popovic

Immediately after his expulsion from Kosovo, Serbian government official Igor Popovic, who was convicted of insulting the KLA, said that he had not pleaded guilty in court and had not made a plea agreement with the prosecution. And a day later, the Serbian Ministry of Justice, in an attempt to defend him, stated that the plea agreement and the plea agreement were made under pressure. Acting Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu called this propaganda. Footage from the court session shows Popovic confirming both the plea agreement and that he had not made it under pressure.

The Serbian government on Saturday denied claims that its official, Igor Popovic, was expelled from Kosovo the day before, in an attempt to protect him.

The authorities deported him to Serbia, after the Basic Court in Pristina sentenced him to six months in prison for inciting discord and intolerance for insulting the KLA, a sentence that was replaced with a fine of 3 euros, as well as a ban on entering Kosovo for two years.

The trial took place after Popovic reached an agreement with the Special Prosecution Office to accept his guilt and sentence.

But this Serbian official, who holds the position of assistant director of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, upon leaving the territory of Kosovo, said that he does not admit guilt and that he has not reached any kind of agreement.

"Let's be clear, there is no agreement here with Kurti's judiciary, because I do not accept any guilt for what I said," Popovic told "Kosovo Online." "At no point have I retracted my words and will I retract them. This process is a consequence of instrumentalized political pressures by the Pristina judiciary and therefore has no power."

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But the Serbian Ministry of Justice denied it, in a statement released on Saturday, through which it tried to defend it.

It is emphasized that Popovic "under pressure, and not of his own free will," reached an agreement with Kosovo prosecutors to plead guilty to inciting discord and intolerance.

"We emphasize that the signing and use of plea agreements in such a case serves exclusively as a means of additional stigmatization of the Serbian people and strengthening political control, and not as an instrument of the rule of law," the ministry's response states.

This Serbian institution has expressed the claim that Popović's trial constitutes "a violation of international law and a direct attack on the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Serbian people."

"Therefore, the Republic of Serbia will use all legal and political means to protect Igor Popović and expose this grave injustice to the international community," the statement said.

According to this ministry, the plea agreement "does not produce legal effect in the legal order of Serbia."

"In addition, the agreement itself is invalid, because it was concluded under pressure and in conditions of violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by Resolution 1244 and the UN Charter on Human Rights," it says.

Following the statement, the acting Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, reacted, calling Serbia's accusation that Popovic pleaded guilty "under pressure, and not of his own free will" false.

She emphasized that Serbia not only misuses official visits to Kosovo through its officials by inciting hatred and division, but also continues its propaganda even after agreements with Kosovo institutions for admission of guilt, as in the case of Popović.

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"The Serbian Ministry of Justice has come up with another false accusation, saying that its official Igor Popović pleaded guilty under pressure. However, in the video below you can see that not only the accused Popović, but also his own lawyer emphasize that both the plea and the agreement were made voluntarily," she wrote on Facebook, where she attached the video from the court session where he pleads guilty.

Popovic admitted to the judge several times on Friday that he stands behind the plea agreement and that he signed the agreement without any pressure.

Popović was arrested on July 18 at the Brnjak border crossing, which connects Kosovo with Serbia, after his speech in Hoçë e Madhe, Rahovec, where he called the KLA terrorists.

After 48 hours of police detention, Popović was sentenced to one month in pre-trial detention. His lawyer appealed the decision, but the second instance of the judiciary upheld the decision of the Basic Court on July 31.

The prosecution accused him of intentionally inciting and publicly spreading hatred and intolerance between ethnic groups during a speech given in Velika Hoca.

Serbian officials have also raised the issue of Popović's arrest during meetings with the ambassadors of Russia and China, accredited to Serbia, but also with the head of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.

After the detention of Popović, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić warned Kosovo of “unforeseen consequences.” This statement was seen as a threat by Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Officials in Kosovo have said they will not tolerate the insult and desecration of history and the war led by the KLA against the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, which capitulated in June 1999.

During the war in Kosovo, more than 13 civilians were killed, while thousands more went missing.

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Around 1 people, mostly Albanians, have not yet been found.

Serbia does not extradite war crimes suspects to Kosovo. In recent years, several trials have been held in absentia, and sentences have been handed down.