Protection of Serbs in Kosovo is just talk, minister says

The desecration of the church is a message to Serbs about ethnic Albanian community and Kosovo government's attitude, Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic says. In a written statement, Bogdanovic said that the local police could not and often did not even want to adequately protect Serb cultural monuments, monasteries and churches. Protection of Serbs in Kosovo is just talk, minister says “We know that from previous experience and we have been presenting the problem to KFOR, but also to all the relevant international actors present in Kosovo. When it comes to the protection of the Serb monasteries and the heritage of the Serb people, the Kosovo police willingness has all been just talk, while in practice, it only showed gross negligence, irresponsibility and carelessness,” the minister protested. Bogdanovic said that the desecration of the church in the village of Samodreza was a clear indicator of how the ethnic Albanian community and the Kosovo government really felt about supporting the actual return of displaced and expelled Serbs. The minister announced that he would speak about the desecration of the church with all relevant international representatives in Kosovo and would seek from them not only to condemn the act, but also to find the perpetrators and give them a proper punishment. He said he would demand from the international representatives to find effective mechanisms for the protection of the Serb cultural heritage and for preventing such uncivilized incidents from happening again. The Orthodox church, devoted to the Great Feast of Beheading of St. John the Baptist and located in the village of Samodreza, near the town of Vucitrn in north-eastern Kosovo, is said to be the place where the Serbian army, led by Prince Lazar, received communion before the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. The Kosovo Strategic Action Network (KSAM) announced Friday the church had been vandalized several days before, with the door being broken and the building turned into a rubbish dump and a public toilet. Goran Bogdanovic (FoNet, file)

Protection of Serbs in Kosovo is just talk, minister says

“We know that from previous experience and we have been presenting the problem to KFOR, but also to all the relevant international actors present in Kosovo. When it comes to the protection of the Serb monasteries and the heritage of the Serb people, the Kosovo police willingness has all been just talk, while in practice, it only showed gross negligence, irresponsibility and carelessness,” the minister protested.

Bogdanović said that the desecration of the church in the village of Samodreža was a clear indicator of how the ethnic Albanian community and the Kosovo government really felt about supporting the actual return of displaced and expelled Serbs.

The minister announced that he would speak about the desecration of the church with all relevant international representatives in Kosovo and would seek from them not only to condemn the act, but also to find the perpetrators and give them a proper punishment.

He said he would demand from the international representatives to find effective mechanisms for the protection of the Serb cultural heritage and for preventing such uncivilized incidents from happening again.

The Orthodox church, devoted to the Great Feast of Beheading of St. John the Baptist and located in the village of Samodreža, near the town of Vučitrn in north-eastern Kosovo, is said to be the place where the Serbian army, led by Prince Lazar, received communion before the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.

The Kosovo Strategic Action Network (KSAM) announced Friday the church had been vandalized several days before, with the door being broken and the building turned into a rubbish dump and a public toilet.