12th anniversary of terrorist attack on bus carrying Serbs

BELGRADE Today marks 12 years since a terrorist attack on a bus carrying Serbs near the Kosovo town of Podujevo which killed 12 people. EULEX has stated it is ready to reopen the investigation if new evidence is found. 12th anniversary of terrorist attack on bus carrying Serbs EULEX judges acquitted Florim Ejupi, the only suspect in the case, due to lack of evidence in 2009. UNMIK judges found Ejupi guilty of blowing up the bus and sentenced him to 40 years in prison in 2008. EULEX Spokeswoman Irina Gudeljevic told Beta news agency that the EU mission was ready to reopen the investigation if new evidence appeared. “It is important the investigation can be reopened at any moment if new evidence is found. It is very important that perpetrators are brought to justice and that families of the victims learn the truth,” she explained. She added that a conviction could only be based on solid evidence and that the judges had determined that there were no “direct evidence” linking Ejupi to the crime scene. The bus carrying displaced Serbs to Gracanica on All Souls Day was blown up on February 16, 2001. The bus was first in a convoy of several buses accompanied by KFOR troops. Ten people died instantly and another two succumbed to their injuries later, including a two-year-old boy. Serbian government's Office for Kosovo has called on EULEX to reopen the investigation, find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. "We have repeated who knows how many times that unpunished crimes result in new ones,” the Office stressed in a release. Perpetrators of some of the most heinous crimes against Serbs in Kosovo have never been found – killers of 14 harvesters in Staro Gracko, children in Gorazdevac and the Stolic family in Obilic. The blown up bus (file) Beta

12th anniversary of terrorist attack on bus carrying Serbs

EULEX judges acquitted Florim Ejupi, the only suspect in the case, due to lack of evidence in 2009.

UNMIK judges found Ejupi guilty of blowing up the bus and sentenced him to 40 years in prison in 2008.

EULEX Spokeswoman Irina Gudeljević told Beta news agency that the EU mission was ready to reopen the investigation if new evidence appeared.

“It is important the investigation can be reopened at any moment if new evidence is found. It is very important that perpetrators are brought to justice and that families of the victims learn the truth,” she explained.

She added that a conviction could only be based on solid evidence and that the judges had determined that there were no “direct evidence” linking Ejupi to the crime scene.

The bus carrying displaced Serbs to Gračanica on All Souls Day was blown up on February 16, 2001. The bus was first in a convoy of several buses accompanied by KFOR troops.

Ten people died instantly and another two succumbed to their injuries later, including a two-year-old boy.

Serbian government's Office for Kosovo has called on EULEX to reopen the investigation, find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

"We have repeated who knows how many times that unpunished crimes result in new ones,” the Office stressed in a release.

Perpetrators of some of the most heinous crimes against Serbs in Kosovo have never been found – killers of 14 harvesters in Staro Gracko, children in Goraždevac and the Stolić family in Obilić.