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Arrest warrant issued for suspect in April clash with UN police in Kosovo

Arrest warrant issued for suspect in April clash with UN police in Kosovo

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today called for a Serbian doctor allegedly involved in a violent clash earlier this year in Mitrovica to turn himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Milan Ivanovic will be charged with attempted murder, according to the arrest warrant issued last week by an international judge in Kosovo. As of today, Dr. Ivanovic had not contacted authorities, a spokesman for UNMIK said.

"The investigation must continue until the appropriate conclusion has been reached," the spokesman told the UN News Service. "It would be very good to bring a sense of closure to the incident."

On 8 April a routine arrest over a traffic violation at a UN-operated checkpoint quickly escalated into a confrontation during which shots were fired at UNMIK police. A group of Kosovo Serbs also began throwing stones at the officers.

The melee left 22 UNMIK police officers, including 15 Polish Special Police, injured, some seriously and one critically.

In another development, UNMIK has received a report concerning the poor treatment of mentally ill inmates in Kosovo. In its report, Mental Disability Rights International flagged improper care in Kosovo’s mental institutions and urged health officials to work with local staff on training to improve the situation.