Human Rights Violations against Non-albanian Kosovars

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# Orthodox Press: Kosovo and Metohija Chronicle, August 03
# Orthodox Press: Kosovo and Metohija Chronicle, August 02
# Orthodox Press: Kosovo and Metohija Chronicle, August 01

# Orthodox Press: Kosovo and Metohija Chronicle, July 28

Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
PRAVOSLAVLJE PRESS

KOSOVO AND METOHIA CHRONICLE
Belgrade, August 3, 1999

On this day also, the names of the killed Serbs on Kosovo and Metohia could be recorded. Ljubica Vujevic (aged 80) has been strangled in Suncani Breg, part of Pristina. Milica Djurisic (aged 70) and her son Zlatko (aged 40) were killed during last night in Pristina. This evening, at 18:00 PM, the Albanians have shot at Dobrinko and Ruzica Stankovic's apartment in Pristina. Three bullets have penetrated the door. Nobody has been hurt. One unidentified corpse has been found in Pristina. Many Serbs in this town have been beaten and expelled from their apartments today.

Priest of Pristina parish - Trajan Kojic and Miroslav Popadic have visited Gornja Brnjica village. They have found out there that six days ago, in this village, a Serb Slavko Gapa was wounded in the legs and in the spine. The injury is very serious, but it is expected that Gapa will recover.

Rt. Rev. Atanasije - the Bishop of Hvosno, as well as father Milija Arsovic - the priest of Djurakovac and Istok parish, monastic David Perovic and mother Fevronija - the Abbess of the monastery of the Patriarchate of Pec, have visited, with friendly help and escort of KFOR soldier from Italian contingent, almost all Metohia. Threat, they have found out that only 4 Serbian women live in Pec at the moment, namely: Bela Lazic, Mica Lalic, Desanka Lalic and Milica Karac. For the moment, they are at 29. novembar Street, at number 51. The Albanians have attacked them, but KFOR soldiers defended and protected them. Almost all Metohia villages are destroyed. In order to show the dimensions of this huge destruction, we will, apart from the village name, present the number of houses that each village had before the departure of the Serbian army and police from Kosovo and Metohia.

The following villages are completely destroyed:

Srbobran – 21 houses, Zac – 45 houses, Saljinovica – 28 houses, Osojane – 117 houses, Tucepo – 60 houses, Krnjino – 35 houses, Sapici – 9 houses, Belic – 52 houses, Kos – 65 houses, Opraske – 27 houses, Rudnik – 23 houses, Poljane i Paljevo – 33 houses, Lukavac – 27 houses, Kovrage i Dubrave – 40 houses, Verici - 14 houses, Nesici – 2 houses, Rakos - 12 houses.

Only few villages have remained whole. Those are: Suvo Grlo - 18 houses, Banja - 60 houses, Crkolez - 40 houses. Djurakovac village that previously numbered 150 houses now has only one. An old woman Njegosava Mikovic (aged over 70) lives in Djurakovac now. She has said to the visitors that the Albanians attacked her and took 1000 DM from her house, as well as some other stuff. This old woman is full of optimism and hope, she has said she is convinced that all Serbs will return to their hearths. Many Serbs who moved out previously, have returned to Banja, Crkolez and Suvo Grlo villages.

Holy Archangel Gabriel church recently built in Osojane village, erected by priest Milija Arsovic, was demolished. The icons are smashed, windows broken and many object taken away.

In Belica village, St. Prince Lazar church was demolished, and thereat Holy Table was smashed and many icons thrown around as well as the Holy Vessels.

St. Nicola's church in Rudnik village was blown up with a mine, Holy Table was smashed as well as iconostasis (screen with icons). In this church antiminsion on the Holy Table remained undamaged in an inexplicable way.

Hvosno Bishop Atanasije has, with his escort, visited Devic monastery. After its serious affliction, living in this monastery started to be safe.

On his way to Devic monastery, while passing through Rudnik village, Bishop Atanasije and others have seen on both sides of the road the soldiers wearing Albanian uniforms with KLA marks. A great number of them stood there in a daring manner, so as to be seen!

Bishop Atanasije
Rakita

Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
PRAVOSLAVLJE PRESS

KOSOVO AND METOHIA CHRONICLE
Belgrade, August 2, 1999

Today, on the Holy Day dedicated to St. Elijah the Prophet, Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina has visited Gnjilane, Vitina and Kosovska Kamenica and their vicinities. A few days ago, the American soldiers removed the monument erected in memory of Saint Lazarus the great Martyr in Gnjilane, because they were informed that there would soon come to bloodshed. The monument is now within KFOR barracks in Gnjilane, where it will wait for some better period.

Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, has left Gnjilane and gone to Bartes village. In Bartes, he visited 68 Serbian families expelled from nearby Zitinje village. Yesterday, about 100 Serbian families moved out of Zitinje village. Certain number of families went to Donja Budriga village and Filovo village, and certain number went towards south Serbia.

Having left Bartes, Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, has gone to the mentioned Zitinje village. Deserted Serbian houses in that village are not damaged, but some of them were forcefully entered into. The local church was attacked for several times, its door was not touched, but its windows were set on fire. As much as could be seen through the windows from outside, the interior of the church is not damaged. In front of the church and the school there are two American tanks that protect these objects.

After leaving Vitina, Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, has returned to Bartes village, where he has informed inhabitants of Vitina that their houses were not set on fire. They have said that they would immediately return to their village if somebody guaranteed them safety. When asked why they moved out, they have said that the Albanian murders of four Serbs, which happened recently, as well as the violation of Vlasta Stankovic's grave, have vastly contributed to their leaving. Vlasta was killed on July 29, 1999; a day after the burial the Albanians opened the grave! That was the last straw for the Serbs from Vitina to leave their village.

Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, has visited Mogila village, within the municipality of Vitina, where Goran Przic (aged 50) was killed in his garden, on August 1, 1999. He has been buried today. The Serbs have informed Bishop Atanasije that the armed Albanians attacked the Serbs in Binac village too.

From Vitina, Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, has gone to Kosovska Kamenica, where the Albanians have demonstrated today against Russian forces in KFOR. Two Serbs, brothers, were arrested here on July 20, 1999. The Albanians accused them to KFOR, completely baselessly, of having weapons and threatening with it. KFOR conducted investigation and freed the two Serbs on July 28. They were set free in Gnjilane; on their way to their Kamenica, two armed Albanians wearing KLA uniforms intercepted them and took them in an unknown direction. Nothing has been known of them since.

In Koretino village, Negovan Antic (aged 33) and Novica Ilic (aged 38) were kidnapped on July 31. Their corpses have been transported today to Kosovska Kamenica.

A Serb, Zoran Zdravkovic and two friends of his disappeared ten days ago near Raniluge village.

There are no more Serbs in Dobrcane village. The church of St. Petka was burned in this village.

As father Ilija, priest of Prizren parish, has reported the Serbs Babarogic Cedomir (aged 95) and Babarogic Olga (aged 75) were killed in Prizren on July 30/31; they are both massacred.

Sixty-three Serbs moved out from Prizren seminary yesterday. They left the town by buses. Earlier, there were 220 Serbs and persons of other nationalities in the seminary.

A meeting has been held under the auspices of Mr Alen Leluj, the chief official of Pec, in UN building in Pec today. The meeting has been arranged for ex judges and prosecutors of Serbian and Albanian nationalities, who are interested in working in judicial institutions. Only one judge of Serbian nationality - Miljan Ljusic has come to this meeting, while on the other side there have been about twenty Albanian judges.

Bishop Atanasije
Rakita

Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
PRAVOSLAVLJE PRESS

KOSOVO AND METOHIA CHRONICLE
Belgrade, August 1, 1999

Tonight, at 1:20 AM, the Albanians have blown up with a mine the church of Christ the Saviour in Pristina. The explosive has been placed at 4 sites; it has been activated at 2, and at the other 2 not, but has been disarmed by KFOR soldiers. The damage done on the church of Christ the Saviour is pretty big; all windows have been broken. Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, together with priests Trajan Kojic and Miroslav Popadic, has visited the church after this huge tragedy.
 
Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Hvosno, has spoken today in the Patriarchate of Pec monastery with the representatives of the Anglican Church, David Thomas and Bryan Owen, the members of the Service for eastern-western church relations for Europe. This Service and its members strive to contribute, as far as they can, to the better inter-religious understanding on the Balkans. They examine and analyse present situation. The mentioned pastors have arrived on Kosovo and Metohia from Tirana, where they talked with the Mr Anastasios, the Hierarch of the Albanian Orthodox Church. Hvosno Bishop Atanasije has striven to break up the mistaken beliefs that his guests already acquired, as well their narrow understanding of inter-national and inter-religious relations in this area.

Hvosno Bishop Atanasije, together with father Korincanin, priest of Pec parish, and monastic David Perovic, has visited Ljevusa village. Bishop Atanasije has also visited, with his escort, already famous Gorazdevac village in which there are 400 brave Serbs at the moment. All of them are resolved to stay on their centuries-long hearths. Hvosno Bishop Atanasije has conveyed to the inhabitants of Gorazdevac the message of His Holiness Pavle, the Serbian Patriarch, which the villagers accepted heartily, and which gives these people even greater strength and resolution to endure all difficulties and persist in staying.

KFOR general in charge of Gorazdevac village has said that he guarantees safety 90% to the villagers, and as for the remaining 10% - Gorazdevac inhabitants have to defend themselves courageously. Few days ago, an outpatient department was opened in the village. The service for the material and other kind of help to the Serbs, led by KFOR representatives, will start to function in Gorazdevac this week Hvosno Bishop Atanasije has visited Pecka Banja village; in this village also, one outpatient department started to operate.

KFOR representative in Gorazdevac has said that Grabovac village is not controlled by KFOR. This village is controlled by KLA.

Bishop Atanasije
Rakita

Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
PRAVOSLAVLJE PRESS

KOSOVO AND METOHIA CHRONICLE
Belgrade, July 28, 1999

His Holiness Pavle, the Serbian Patriarch, has, together with Rt. Rev. Amfilohije - the Metropolitan of Crna Gora and Primorje, Rt. Rev. Artemije - the Bishop of Raska and Prizren, and Rt. Rev. Atanasije - the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, received Mr Bernard Kouchner, who took over the temporary management of Kosovo and Metohia on behalf of UN. After this meeting, around 12:00 AM, His Holiness Pavle - the Serbian Patriarch, hierarchs, priests, monastics and Mr Kouchner have gone to attend the burial of 14 Serbs killed in Staro Gracko village. Huge number of people being present, funeral service for the innocent yet murdered Serbs has been performed. According to the testifying of the family, which is the trustworthiest, only two men were killed by shooting from firearms, the others were killed by bars and other blunt objects, and massacred afterwards. Their sculls were smashed and brains knocked out; those parts of poor men's bodies were collected in bags, so as to be buried with their remains. The mental and emotional pain with which the Serbs escorted their relatives and fellow countrymen on the final departure is indescribable.

*PHOTO*

His Holiness Pavle, the Serbian Patriarch has addressed its spiritual children with a comforting message: "Brothers and sisters, if it has to be that we should be afflicted, then it is better that we should perish as the innocent people on the way of Christ's justice, than as the criminals".

For the mighty people of this world and for the faithless persons of all kinds, this evangelical message may not have any significance, but for an Orthodox Serb, it is the spring of strength and historical optimism.

Yesterday, at 10:00 AM, Mirko Milovanovic (aged 24) and Miodrag Djordjevic (aged 40) tried for the first time to get out of Gojbulja village (municipality of Vucitrn) which has been surrounded by the Albanians for month and a half; they went by their car in the direction of Kosovska Mitrovica, and only 50m away from the village they were killed by a burst of fire from an Albanian house. For the time being, their corpses are in Pristina hospital for autopsy.

Vojkan Radivojevic from Prizren has informed us today that his father Nikola Radivojevic (aged 60) from Prizren had been kidnapped on June 27, and that he himself, although asking KFOR daily for help, found out on July 23 that his father had been killed and that KFOR buried him on July 28; in spite of his request, KFOR did not want to inform him where his father had been buried.

It has been noticed today that the parish centre in Djurakovac and the parish centre in Istok were set on fire, previously having been plundered, as we have reported earlier.

In the monastery of the Patriarchate of Pec, significant meetings have been held today between Rt. Rev. Atanasije - the Bishop of Hvosno with priests and monastics from Pec and from the Patriarchate of Pec monastery, and curates of the Roman Catholic Church who serve in Italian contingent in KFOR, and Anglican clergymen from the American contingent; thereat great understanding has been achieved, these clergymen have promised, and showed this very day, practical help to the remaining Serbs in Pec and nearby villages in the form of medical help. Apart from medical help, the clergymen have especially expressed readiness to help in finding the kidnapped, missing and killed Serbs. On their insisting, KFOR soldiers have found today Marica Vidic, an old Serbian woman aged 70, from Klinovac village, municipality of Klina, who has been hiding in the forest since June 20 of this year, namely since the day when the Albanians killed her husband Radojica Vidic, his brother Radivoje (Role) Vidic and brother's wife Jovana. Medical help has been provided to Marica Vidic, her wounds on the legs (dogs bit her) were bandaged. As she has said, for a month and longer she was eating exclusively roots and wild fruits.

Bishop Atanasije
Rakita

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