Communique of the Diocese of Raška-prizren Regarding a Series of Incidents in the Recent Days

The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raška-Prizren strongly condemns the latest series of incidents which indicate that there is a serious deterioration of the security situation in which Serbs with their Orthodox Church live in Kosovo and Metohija.Three days ago, dozens of Kosovo Albanians attacked a group of Serbian pilgrims while they were visiting the ruins of the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Petrič near Klina and performing the Pentecost procession around the site. In a serious incident, the attackers, despite the massive police presence, attacked the pilgrims with stones and injured three Serbs.

Yesterday, in Staro Gracko village nr. Lipljan a Serbian woman and her 6-month-old baby were injured in an incident provoked by a Kosovo Albanian. Also, a group of local Albanians near Žač, Klina Municipality, intercepted the vehicle of the local Serbian Orthodox priest, Fr. Stevan Marković, who was returning with his family from the service at Peć Patriarchate Monastery. They first blocked the road and then, when a larger group gathered, began hitting the car and broke the windshield. Both 5-year-old twins of the priest and his wife suffered shock from the incident, especially when one of the local attackers threatened to bring weapons.