Miroslav Ristic, the son of Dragan Ristic (76), who was arrested by Kosovo police on February 25 at the Jarinje crossing over alleged war crimes against civilians in 1998-1999, has expressed gratitude for the Serbian government’s decision to provide a one-time financial aid of 300,000 dinars to detainees in Kosovo prisons.
“This assistance means a lot in our case. For the past eight and a half years, my father cared for my bedridden mother at home. I used to travel from Nis to Jagodina to help him. Now, I’ve hired a caregiver to tend to my mother, but the costs are high—especially with the added expenses of sending my father necessities in prison. This aid is of immense importance to our family,” Miroslav Ristic stated, thanking the Serbian government and President Aleksandar Vucic for their support.
Dragan Ristic was arrested despite having crossed into Kosovo multiple times before without incident, according to his son. “We’ve visited Dakovica, where we once lived, for memorial services and church celebrations. We even crossed through Merdare without issues. This is clearly political persecution. My father was never involved in military or political activities—he worked as a security guard in a juice factory during the war. Many from Dakovica have called me, shocked by his arrest, as he was known as a peaceful man,” Miroslav explained.
He also shared concerns about his father’s deteriorating health, citing nerve damage from years of caring for his wife, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia. “He wakes up at night, even in prison, unable to sleep for hours. His body is covered in rashes, a sign of nerve damage, and he has high blood pressure. The prison doctors have examined him, but they don’t consistently provide the medications we send,” Miroslav added.
The two only spoke on April 16—nearly two months after the arrest—due to alleged interference with phone access. “He once felt so ill that fellow inmates had to call guards for urgent medical help,” Miroslav recounted.
The Serbian government’s aid, approved yesterday, targets individuals facing what it calls “fabricated criminal proceedings” for alleged crimes during the 1998-1999 conflict, as well as other politically motivated cases. Payments will be disbursed as soon as possible.
