The European Union said it is closely following the detention of seven directors of health and education institutions in Kosovo, which operate under the Serbian system. The directors were detained on suspicion of influencing the free will of voters.

An EU spokesman told Radio Free Europe that the bloc's Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) is monitoring the case on the ground.

"We expect the Kosovo authorities to respect and ensure due process of law throughout the proceedings, in accordance with Kosovo laws and international standards. This also means that any decision to detain must be necessary and proportionate," the EU response states.

The Basic Court in Pristina on May 21st set one month detention for the seven directors of Serbian institutions, on the grounds that there is a real risk that the defendants, if released, may evade criminal responsibility or repeat the criminal offense.

The suspects of influencing the free will of voters were arrested on May 19 by order of the Basic Prosecution Office in Pristina, which, as it said, acted ex officio following media reports on claims by the leader of the For Freedom, Justice and Survival party, Nenad Rašić, that the Serbian List is exerting pressure and blackmailing his supporters.

The Serbian List, the main Kosovo Serb party that operates with the support of the authorities in Serbia, has condemned the detention of directors of Serbian institutions and said it is a matter of "persecution and intimidation."

Educational and health institutions in Serb-majority areas in Kosovo operate according to the Serbian system and are almost the only ones left, as Kosovo authorities have closed other institutions, deeming them "parallel and illegal."

Meanwhile, Rashic, who is also the acting Minister for Communities and Returns in the Government of Kosovo, has claimed that around 20 people who support him have been dismissed from their jobs in these Serbian institutions, and that in the future it is expected that around 40 more people will receive decisions to dismiss them from their jobs in the territory of the Gracanica municipality alone.

The Serbian List has denied all allegations and said that Rasic is trying to "justify" his defeat in the upcoming elections.

Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) on May 18 published testimonies of several people who said they were fired because they did not support the Serbian List, but Rašić's party.

They had worked for decades in Serbia's health and education institutions in Kosovo, which in recent years have been run mainly by members and officials of the Serbian List – the main Serb party in Kosovo that operates with the support of official Belgrade.

Parliamentary elections in Kosovo are being held on June 7, and only the Serbian List and Rašić's For Freedom, Justice and Survival party are participating among Serbian political entities.

Authorities in Kosovo have welcomed the response of the Basic Prosecution Office regarding the directors' case, while Serbian officials have described the arrests as politically motivated. /REL/