Kosovo Police Shamed by Police Assault Video

Kosovo police say they shamed by recently released video footage showing a middle-aged man being punched in the face by a police officer in the western city of Peja.

The footage, dated July 6, 2010, recently uploaded onto Youtube, shows Bekim Muqaj striking the man without warning in the court building in Peja.

After the incident, the policeman allegedly called for police backup, claiming he had been assaulted by the man who was, in fact, his victim.

"When we saw the tape the next day, we were shocked,” Xhevat Ibraj, Peja police spokesperson, told Balkan Insight. Ibraj said Muqaj had already been sacked after the police inspectorate ruled that he had committed a grave violation, leaving his unnamed victim injured.

The man had come to the court building to visit a relative and was there on business. The reason for the attack is unknown. The video footage does not include a sound recording of the scene.

"I don’t know what the reasons [for the assault] were. Check with the court because the case was sent there,” Ibraj said. 

A police source said Muqaj had gained a reputation for abusing his police uniform. "He clearly thought he would escape this time too, thinking no one was there and no one would witness it," the source told Balkan Insight. "He apparently filed a suit against the person who uploaded the clip onto Youtube."

The Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedom in Pristina described the case as "scandalous". The head of the council, Behgjet Shala, noted that during 2010 some 11 other cases were reported to them concerning undue use of force by police.

Shala said that not one case had ended with the punishment of the alleged offender by the police inspectorate. “This is worrying because there are policemen known for their wrongdoings, and they are just getting more immunity,” Shala told Balkan Insight.