Human Rights Violations against Non-albanian Kosovars
Link to new albanian map of Kosova Link
to detailed new map of Kosova 197 KB
# Patriarch Pavle: “Building Serbia on crimes – no way”_______________________________________________________________________
# Orthodox Press: Kosovo and Metohija Chronicle, July 26
# Orthodox Press: Kosovo and Metohija Chronicle, July 25
# Thaçi Condemns attacks in Lipjan
Monday, July 26th, 1999_______________________________________________________________________Patriarch Pavle: “Building Serbia on crimes – no way”
Patriarch Pavle, Head of Serbian Orthodox Church, said to Bosnian weekly “Slobodna Bosna” (Free Bosnia) that “Milosevic is no Christian” and that he doubts Serbs and Albanians would be able to live together in the future.
“Church had never been pro-Milosevic or anti-Milosevic. He wants everything, even to control the church. My duty as a Christian is to defend the truth”, Patriarch Pavle said.
He said he stood against any idea of Serbia built on crimes. “If Greater Serbia should be built on crimes, I don’t agree, let there be no Greater Serbia. If small Serbia should be built on crimes, I don’t agree again, let there be no small Serbia. If it takes a crime for one only remaining Serb to survive, I don’t agree again. Let us extinct, but to survive by crime, no way”, Patriarch Pavle said.
Speaking about common life of Serbs and Albanians Pavle said that “it would be very hard for this generations to continue to live together, but future generations will have better chances and conditions for common life”, Pavle said. “We lived together for so many years, Serbs never denied Albanian right for sun, soil and life on Kosovo”
Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church_______________________________________________________________________
PRAVOSLAVLJE PRESSKOSOVO AND METOHIA CHRONICLE
Belgrade, July 26, 1999His Holiness Pavle, the Serbian Patriarch, and Rt. Rev. Amfilohije, the Bishop of Crna Gora and Primorje, have arrived today into Gracanica monastery, where Rt. Rev. Artemije, the Bishop of Raska and Prizren, and Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina met them. The hierarchs intended to perform the service for the repose of the souls of the killed villagers of Staro Gracko village, but they could not do that, since KFOR autopsy of the corpses has not yet been ended. The burial has been postponed for the day after tomorrow, most probably.
Hvosno Bishop Atanasije, Kijevo parish priest Radenko Zivaljevic and monastic Aleksandar, have visited Kijevo village for the first time after the Albanian invasion. The church in Kijevo village, dedicated to St. Nicholas (dating from 14th century), was blown up with a mine, only a bell was found left. The church had valuable icons dating from 14th century. The bell was transported to the Patriarchate of Pec monastery. Having visited Kijevo, they have gone to Dolac and Drsnik village (the former numbered over 60 Serbian houses, the latter 130 Serbian houses). The churches in these villages were demolished and burned. All the Serbian houses were burned. There are no more Serbs in those three villages now.
The bell from the church of Entrance of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, in Dolac village, was found and moved to the Patriarchate of Pec monastery.
The situation in Pristina has not been stable today; it has been shot at Miroslav Deljanin, through the closed door of the apartment.
Rt. Rev. Bishop Atanasije Rakita
The Bishop of Hvosno
Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church_______________________________________________________________________
PRAVOSLAVLJE PRESSKOSOVO AND METOHIA CHRONICLE
Belgrade, July 25, 1999Rt. Rev. Artemije, the Bishop of Raska and Prizren and Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, have visited Bostane and Novo Brdo villages, and have spoken with the villagers. For the past few weeks, this area has been exposed to enormous terror of the Albanians. The Bishops have been informed that, couple of days ago, one man was killed and found in a street litter container.
This morning, upon the ending of the Holy Pontifical Liturgy, the Italian soldiers have brought into the Patriarchate of Pec monastery a corpse of Olga Novakovic, an engineer from Pec, aged between 50 and 60. She lived in the vicinity of KFOR headquarters in Pec. The Albanians slaughtered her around midnight; stabs were visible on her body, and it is most probable that the Albanians took her heart out, since she had many sticking plasters on that part of the body. The deceased has been buried in the Patriarchate of Pec monastery. Last Saturday, on July 17, the late Olga came to the monastery asking the nuns to give her humanitarian aid. The nuns begged her to stay, but she refused saying that the Italian soldiers guaranteed that she was safe and that nothing would happen to her.
Priest Radenko Zivanovic, hieromonk Jovan Culibrk and monastic David Perovic have visited the church of Entrance of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, in Krusevo village today. That has been the first visit to this church since the Albanians started rampaging all over Kosovo and Metohia. This church was consecrated in 1983. It was erected on the remains of the old church dating from 14th century. The priests have found this church broken into, partially robbed. In order to prevent further destruction of this holy place, the priests, being closely acquainted with the destinies of other churches in the villages of Kosovo and Metohia, have taken the Royal Door* from the iconostasis** as well as Lord Jesus Christ's icon and the Most Holy Mother of God's icon (wrought by Mother Makarija from Sokolica monastery) and transported them into the Patriarchate of Pec monastery; they have also taken the Holy Relics from the Holy Throne and other holy objects.
St. Demetrius' church in the Patriarchte of Pec monastery has been turned into a real storehouse for icons, holy relics and holy vessels which have been brought from the destroyed or damaged churches.
Since the Holy Day dedicated to Venerable Anastasia of Serbia (June 22, according to church calendar - Julian calendar /July 5, according to the new one - Gregorian calendar), the light hanging before the Most Holy Mother of God's icon, in the parvis*** of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ's church, in Visoki Decani monastery, to this very day has been moving in the same manner as the priest does with incense vessel. The light hangs exactly over the crypt in which are, according to a traditional belief, the remains of the Kosovo heroes.
As for myself, the person conveying this, I am a rationalist by nature, and as such, I have come into the church several times during one day, in different periods of the day, and checked up on this occurrence. There are two hanging lights more in the parvis, one before Christ's fresco, and the other over the door leading into the naos**** of the church; both lights hang in the same environment as the light before the Most Holy Mother of God's icon, but, these two hang motionless - do the agitated Kosovo heroes, being unable to stand up and protect their people, knee and pray the Most Holy Mother of God to protect the Serbian people on Kosovo and Metohia, since they cannot?!
* entrance into altar area
** screen with icons
*** an enclosed area in front of a church, entrance to naos
**** the principal chamber, body of the churchRt. Rev. Bishop Atanasije Rakita
The Bishop of Hvosno
Thaçi Condemns attacks in LipjanPrishtina, July 24, (Kosovapress)
In a press conference given yesterday, the Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of Kosova, Hashim Thaçi strongly condemned the murder of 14 Serbs close to Lipjan. He called the reports unfortunate for both Albanians and the international community. He added the event was truly tragic and impacted both internal and international leaders. The 14 killed Serbs, according to Thaçi represented the death of 14 Kosovars who decided to stay in Kosova and seek a democratic life in Kosova. This act of "madness" is strongly condemned both by the Provisional Government and by Thaçi personally. Thaçi said "this act, unfortunately, was predictable, one that only intensifies intercommunal conflict in Kosova."
"We still do not have the details of the event, it is under investigation; this will make, no doubt, the situation that much more difficult for us, right at the point when things were beginning to normalize. This act of violence ended on the day the second phase of the KLA´s demilitarization, a process which ended successfully and which offended those who do not wish to see the Serb and Albanian communities work towards better relations, " added Thaçi. "This act was against Kosova, its people, the international community and it only helps Milosevic. So we must cooperate closely with the international community to assist in the investigation that will lead to the capture of those who are guilty of this act. We have to, once and forever, convince all in Kosova that we will not allow anarchy and extremism prevail. In Kosova, democracy will reign. This act´s only goal was to disrupt the work of the Transitory Council of Kosova. We had begun to cooperate with the whole Kosovar Albanian political spectrum and with UNMIK, we were prepared to sign the declaration to work towards a harmonious coexistence, tolerance and understanding between national groups. We have begun to visit each other through the offices of UNMIK." Thaçi believed this act of violence was aimed in particular at disrupting this progress. Thaçi added, "The KLA since the very beginning has refused to target civilians in its struggle for freedom, its primary objective was the creation of a democratic order in Kosova, a multiethnic and pluralistic life in Kosova. We, as members of the Provisional Government of Kosova strongly condemn this act. This act has nothing to do with progressive democratic forces in Kosova, it is simply a reflection of those who have no interest in seeing Kosova democratic and free. I use this opportunity to once again to plead to Serbs who are living in Kosova not to leave and not to be afraid of Albanians, but get closer, to help and respect each other and to integrate and build a modern civil society."
"All those who seek to destabilize Kosova are badly mislead. Kosova is now more than ever determined to follow a democratic path towards creating a free civil society which is open, multi-ethnic, pluralistic and equal to all citizens of Kosova."
Prime Minister Thaçi called an immediate press conference to address the international media after the report of the discovery of 14 Serbs killed near Lipjan last night. While the motive and the identity of those who committed the act are still in question, many in Prishtina are concerned this will create a chain reaction, leading to a series of attacks on each community.
senden