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Information
Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 16,
2005
ANNIVERSARY OF POGROM IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle has issued a call that
tomorrow, March 17, 2005, on the anniversary of the pogrom against
the Serbian people and its Church in Kosovo and Metohija, exactly
at noon, all bells on all churches of the Serbian Orthodox Church
in the Homeland and abroad should ring continuously for five
minutes.
From the Office of the Serbian Patriarch
POGROM IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA - MARCH 2004 Almost five years after the arrival of the UN Mission and KFOR
in Kosovo and Metohija and an ongoing process of ethnic discrimination
and attacks on the Serbian Orthodox population and its holy shrines,
on March 17-18, 2004, Albanian extremists organized and carried
out the biggest attack so far on Serbian enclaves and holy shrines
of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The immediate cause for organizing
the allegedly spontaneous Albanian demonstrations was a tragic
incident in the village of Cabra (Chabra) near Kosovska Mitrovica
where three Albanian children drowned on March 16. Prior to any
investigation or verification, the Albanians accused the Serbs
of being responsible for the tragedy, and on the same evening
(March 16) Albanian language media issued a fervent call for
mass demonstrations, which by March 17 would escalate into a
mass lynching of the Serbian population. A subsequent established
that the Serbs were not at all to blame for the tragedy at Cabra,
and that Albanian extremist groups simply took advantage of this
incident to launch an already prepared plan for the expulsion
and ethnic cleansing of the remaining Serbs.
The results of the two-day-long rampage are highly discouraging.
A total of 19 people were killed, including nine Serbs, while
the rest were Albanians killed by international police and soldiers
while defending themselves and the besieged Serbian enclaves.
Almost 900 people were injured, among them 65 international members
of KFOR and UNMIK police. A total of 4,100 people were chased
from their homes, most of them Serbs; about 800 Serb and Roma
homes and apartments were looted and torched; and 30 Serbian
Orthodox holy shrines were either completely destroyed or heavily
damaged. Two months after the March pogrom, the main organizers
of the pogrom have not been identified or arrested; moreover,
not one Albanian or international official has been dismissed
or publicly called to task, despite the fact that during those
two fateful days and nights, all Kosovo institutions, the UN
Mission and KFOR command experienced complete collapse.
During those days the Serbs were practically left undefended
before an onslaught of more than 60,000 Albanians, many of them
armed. Only days after the pogrom, leading international officials,
including NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Admiral
Gregory C. Johnson, assessed that the campaign of violence and
ethnic cleansing was well orchestrated. If this assessment is
correct, as the entire investigation thus far and numerous analyses
show, it is discouraging that two months after the eruption of
violence, the persons who directly organized the pogrom have
not been arrested. There are presently some 270 primarily indirect
violators under investigation who were filmed destroying Serb
property; however, the question looms large how many of them
will ultimately be sentenced, taking into account that none of
the Albanians are ready to testify for fear of reprisals.
The riots first began the morning of March 17, 2004, in Kosovska
Mitrovica with the attempt of 800 Albanian demonstrators to force
their way into the northern, Serbian part of the city. Although
there was no organized resistance by UNMIK police at first, very
quickly and with the help of armored vehicles and tear gas, UNMIK
police pushed back the crowd into the southern part of the city
and blocked the bridge across the Ibar River. French and Danish
KFOR only showed up at the end and did not even take part in
preventing the Albanian breakthrough. After failing to force
their way into Northern Mitrovica, a group of about 200 predominantly
young Albanians, among them several young men with characteristic
Wahabi bears, were observed headed in the direction of the church
of St. Sava in the southern part of Mitrovica, which was protected
by members of a KFOR unit from Morocco. Without encountering
any resistance from KFOR troops, the attackers broke into the
churchyard and the church itself, destroying everything in front
of them, and set a fire that demolished the entire interior of
the church. In the meanwhile, members of KFOR evacuated the Serbian
priest and his family so that the attackers, again without any
resistance at all from KFOR, could also set fire to the parish
home. According to existing video footage and photographs, the
Moroccan soldiers stood and calmly watched the rampaging Albanians
without demonstrating any sign of willingness to stop them in
their campaign of destruction. Clashes in the Mitrovica area
continued throughout the day and night with new attempts by the
Albanians to force their way into the northern part of the city.
According to UNMIK data, during these riots four Serbs were killed
and 50 wounded. Also wounded were 35 members of police and some
160 Albanians. A dozen UNMIK vehicles were destroyed. The Albanians
then attacked the Serb village of Svinjare (Svinyare), located
between Mitrovica and Vucitrn (Vuchitrn); the entire Serb population
of Svinjare was evacuated, and the Albanians then torched just
about every Serbian house in the village.
By the afternoon of March 17, the violence had spread to the
Pristina (Prishtina) area. Several thousand Albanians headed
from the direction of Pristina across Veternik toward Caglavica
(Chaglavitsa), where Serbs had blocked the road on March 15 after
a young Serb, Jovica Ivic (18 ), was wounded by unknown attackers
from an Albanian vehicle, which fled from the scene. In the meanwhile,
the students of Pristina University, coming from rural and undeveloped
parts of Kosovo known for their radical views and behavior, began
a rampage within the city of Pristina itself. The students were
invited to take part in the attack by the distribution of already
prepared flyers calling on them to take part in demonstrations.
The Independent Union of Students, which organized this mobilization,
played a key role in attacks on Serb property throughout the
greater Pristina area on March 17-18. The clash near the Serbian
village of Caglavica looked like a medieval pitched battle, as
one KFOR soldier described it. Strong police repelled the first
Albanian attack and Swedish KFOR forces used water cannons, tear
gas, stun grenades and even hand-to-hand combat. International
forces blocked the road with a double cordon. Local Serbs also
organized themselves to resist. However, despite the relatively
strong international forces, the Albanians managed to set fire
to several Serbian houses on the outskirts of the village. After
six o'clock in the evening, approximately 5,000 students arrived
from Pristina and with the rest of the Albanian throng pushed
the international forces in the direction of Gracanica (Grachanitsa).
A direct clash between several thousand Albanians and Serbs ready
to defend the approach to Gracanica was imminent. Only later
that evening was the escalation of violence stopped by the arrival
of the US Marines, who dispersed the Albanian throng by throwing
teargas from a helicopter. In the meanwhile, several hundred
Albanians attacked the YU Program building in Pristina, including
about 20 children. After stoning the building and tossing Molotov
cocktails at it, the Albanians managed to break in, despite the
presence of Kosovo police. The Serbs were evacuated at the last
moment by the Irish KFOR contingent while the Albanians systematically
looted and destroyed Serbian apartments. Several Serbs were beaten
up. The Albanians were even throwing stones and Molotov cocktails
and using snipers to shoot at international police who were trying
to evacuate the Serbs.
As the violence spread in the areas of Mitrovica and Pristina,
the riots infected almost every urban center in Kosovo and Metohija
during the course of that day, March 17.
By the afternoon of March 17, large groups of Albanians had
arrived in organized fashion in the Kosovo Polje area, where
they began to attack Serbian houses and property. In the attacks
the Serbian hospital in Bresje, St. Sava School, the only post
office where Serbs could receive mail, and dozens of Serbian
houses were burned down. Serbs were literally pulled from the
flames by international policemen who were helpless to prevent
the destruction of their homes. One has the distinct impression
that the goal of the Albanian mob was to expel the Serbs; members
of the Kosovo Police Service who pulled the Serbs from their
homes headed the mass of Albanians, many among them armed with
Kalashnikovs and hand grenades. The situation was similar in
Lipljan, when 28 Serb houses were burned down along with utility
buildings. It was only thanks to KFOR intervention at the last
moment that the destruction of all Serb property in this once
largely Serbian town was avoided. Orthodox priest Randjel Denic
was wounded by a hand grenade tossed by the Albanians, who attacked
two Serbian churches in Lipljan; when he withdrew into his parish
home to wash the blood from his face as a result of wounds caused
by grenade shrapnel, he was then arrested by Albanian policemen
for supposedly trying to set fire to his own church. Many Serbs
in Lipljan and Kosovo Polje were wounded, two were killed and
hundreds were evacuated from their burning homes.
Demonstrations in Urosevac (Uroshevats) began on the afternoon
of March 17. At first they were peaceful but soon the Albanian
crowd was using hand grenades and Molotov cocktails to attack
the Greek troops guarding the church of the Holy Emperor Uros
(Urosh). Approximately 15 Greek soldiers were wounded defending
the church, which luckily only sustained damage to the facade.
At the last moment US troops arrived, who prevented the mass
from breaking into the church, evacuated the wounded Greeks and
about a dozen Serbs under a hail of stones and Molotov cocktails.
The violence continued in Gnjilane, Vitina and Kamenica as well.
In Gnjilane almost all the remaining Serbian houses were burned
down but ultimately the church was saved. The Serbian churches
in Vitina and Kamenica were attacked but did not sustain significant
damage. All the Serbs from Gnjilane were evacuated; in Vitina
only a few stayed near the church, which was placed under US
protection. In Kamenica many Serbian houses were damaged, and
several Serbs beaten up.
The biggest destruction of Serb property and holy shrines occurred
in Prizren, until then considered to be one of the most peaceful
urban centers on the territory in the Province largely due to
the fact that there were hardly any Serbs left there. By about
3:00 p.m., the organizers of the violence in Prizren ordered
the closing of all shops. In the meanwhile, an enormous crowd
of Albanians gathered, many of them arriving in organized fashion
by bus from outlaying parts of the city and surrounding villages.
After an attack on the UNMIK building and an unsuccessful attempt
by Argentine policemen to stop the masses, the crowd began the
systematic destruction of Serbian Orthodox holy shrines and houses
in Potkaljaja (Potkalyaya) (the old quarter of Prizren once inhabited
by primarily by Serbs, few of whom now remain). First Sts. Cyril
and Methodius Seminary was burned down; a Serb male refugee burned
to death inside and later the burned remains of a woman were
found in the basement.. The crowd then attacked the Bishop's
residence with stones and Molotov cocktails, and German soldiers
evacuated Fr. Miron Kosac from the site. After the Bishop's residence
was set on fire, the crowd also broke into St. George Orthodox
Cathedral and the smaller church of St. George (Runovic's church)
located in the courtyard of the main church, and set them on
fire. Other groups set fires in the churches of the Holy Virgin
of Lyevish and Christ the Savior, and the church of St. Kyriake
in Potkaljaja. German KFOR forces not only failed to react but
even completely withdrew from their positions in the city. No
one from the main KFOR base rushed to assist the members of the
international police trying tot stop the masses. At approximately
9:00 p.m, a crowd arrived in front of Holy Archangels Monastery,
located five kilometers south of Prizren, as German soldiers
evacuated the brotherhood at the last moment. The Albanians broke
into the courtyard and set fire to the monastery, which burned
to the ground despite the presence of the German troops, who
stood and watched the rampaging of the terrorists. Obviously
the Albanians' goal was not to clash with KFOR but simply to
expel the Serbs and destroy their property and holy shrines.
During the course of that night and the next day, March 18, 2004,
the Albanians systematically looted and set fire to Serb homes
in Potkaljaja where the smaller churches of the Unmercenary Physicians
(Sts. Cosmas and Damian) and St. Panteleimon were also set on
fire. The entire historic Serbian quarter of Prizren was reduced
to ashes. According to the testimony of some 30 Serbs evacuated
by international forces before frenzied crowd to the German military
base, where they remain today, heading the crowd were members
of the Kosovo Police Service, who forcibly expelled the Serbs
from their homes, not even allowing them to take the most basic
necessities. Some of the elderly Serbs were brutally beaten KPS
members and subsequently received emergency treatment at Prizren
Hospital.
In Djakovica several hundred Albanians began to gather on the
afternoon of March 17. At about 5:00 p.m. they attacked members
of UNMIK police, torching and destroying police vehicles. In
the evening the Albanian masses attacked the Serbian Orthodox
church of the Most Holy Theotokos, where five elderly Serbian
women lived in the parish home under the protection of Italian
soldiers. The soldiers opened fire on the attackers and wounded
nine Albanians. However, since no reinforcements came, the soldiers
were forced to evacuate the Serbian grandmothers at the last
moment under a hail of stones and Molotov cocktails to the nearby
Italian military base, and then to Visoki Decani Monastery, where
they remain today. After the departure of the soldiers and elderly
women, members of the Kosovo Police Service were the first to
enter the churchyard in Djakovica and open the doors for the
crowd. During the course of the night, the church and parish
home were not only burned down but completely leveled with the
ground. Later the same night and the next day, several thousand
Albanians systematically removed the very stones of the destroyed
church as well as the stones of the church of the Holy Trinity,
which had been blown up in 1999. In the meanwhile, Albanian extremists
dynamited the church of St. Lazarus in Piskote (Pishkote) near
Djakovica, and the church of St. Elijah on the hill near the
village of Bistrazin, south of Djakovica. Not only was the church
in Piskote completely obliterated but the Orthodox cemetery in
the village was also destroyed.
In the town of Decani the Albanian masses began gathering on
March 17 and first set fire to several UNMIK vehicles. Prior
to this, at about 10:00 a.m. six mortar grenades landed in immediate
proximity to Visoki Decani Monastery. In the nearby city of Pec,
after rampaging in front of the UNMIK building, several thousand
Albanians then attacked the neighboring Serbian returnee village
of Belo Polje (Belo Polye), setting fire to all the recently
restored Serb houses there, as well as the restored parish home
where the Serb returnees were staying. Approximately 20 Serbs
were evacuated at the last moment by Italian KFOR, which arrived
too late to prevent the destruction of the recently restored
village. Several Serbs sustained injuries as they ran from the
burning parish home to the Italian transporters. The church,
which had also been demolished and torched earlier, was again
demolished and torched on the inside but the roof construction
remained intact.
On the second day, March 18, 2004, the violence of the Albanian
terrorists continued albeit with somewhat reduced fury. Most
of the damage was done in the area of central Kosovo. In the
evening of March 17, the old church of St. Nicholas in Pristina
was attacked and burned to the ground, together with the parish
home and an adjoining building used for baptisms. The remaining
dozen or so Pristina Serbs, including Orthodox priest Miroslav
Popadic, were evacuated from the flames of the parish home at
the last moment as the crowd rejoiced over the spectacle of the
church in flames. In Obilic, too, an organized campaign of destruction
of Serb houses and apartment began during the course of March
18. Serbian houses were largely set aflame by Albanian children,
who were led out of their classrooms in organized fashion and
armed with Molotov cocktails. By the end of the day, 90 Serbian
houses, 40 apartment sand some 30 other buildings had been reduced
to rubble. The Albanians also burned down the unfinished Serbian
Orthodox church in downtown Obilic by filling it with automobile
tires and setting them aflame.
The torching of Serb houses continue on March 18 in the area
of Kosovo Polje, where over 100 Serb homes were destroyed in
two days. There were also new attacks in Lipljan but without
tragic consequences. In Podujevo that afternoon a mob of about
500 Albanians attacked the Serbian church of St. Andrew the First-called
above the town, which was under the protection of Czech KFOR
troops. After the soldiers received orders to retreat, the crowd
attacked the church, setting fire to it and using dynamite to
blow up the altar section (sanctuary) of the church. The Albanian
masses then began a horrific celebration at the nearby Serbian
cemetery where, according to the eyewitness testimony of Czech
soldiers, they tore open the Serbian tombs and scattered the
bones in them, destroying crosses and grave markers with infernal
hatred and demonic fury. In addition to the church, the bell
tower was also blown up and a 1.2 ton church bell donated to
the church by Serbian King Alexander Karageorgevich, was stolen.
Soon thereafter Czech soldiers found the bell in an Albanian
house and learned that the Albanians were planning to sell it
for 32,000 Euro. On the second day, March 18, the Serbian cemetery
in Urosevac was also systematically desecrated and destroyed.
Three more Orthodox churches were also destroyed in the same
area. Not far from Orahovac, the Albanians torched the church
of St. Kyriake in Brnjaca (Brnyacha) near Bela Crkva. At the
same time, the parish home was set on fire as confirmed by a
KFOR report.
In the town of Decani in the afternoon of March 18, a group
of several hundred Albanians headed in the direction of Visoki
Decani Monastery with the intent of attacking the monastery.
The Albanian mayor of Decani and members of international police
who deterred them from the attack stopped the crowd at the last
moment. At the same time, as mentioned above, a mass of Albanians
also headed in the direction of the Serb village of Svinjare,
located between Mitrovica and Vucitrn, some 600 meters from a
French military base. Although KFOR and international police
at first tried to prevent the Albanians from entering the village,
they received orders to evacuate all the Serbs from the village
instead. The Albanian masses then entered the village unobstructed,
completely looted it and set fire to 150 Serbian houses. The
bodies of two Serbs were later found in the rubble of the burning
houses. In their fury, the Albanians even slaughtered domestic
animals, especially pigs.
In the town of Vucitrn itself, the Albanian crowd attacked the
church of St. Elijah and set fire to the church and the parish
home, ending its pyre of destruction by desecrating the Orthodox
cemetery. The church, already destroyed earlier, was completely
unprotected by either members of KFOR or police. At the same
time, another group of Albanians forced its way into a settlement
of Roma and Ashkalis, and began to torch and destroy their homes.
More than 200 Ashkalis were evacuated.
On the afternoon of March 18, several thousand Albanians headed
in the direction of Devic Monastery near Srbica (Srbitsa) with
the intent of destroying the monastery. The French soldiers,
who had been protecting this holy shrine for five years, panicked
and ordered the nuns to evacuate, i.e. they literally grabbed
them by the arm and fled with them by helicopter in the direction
of Mitrovica. The monastery was left completely unprotected and
full of French KFOR equipment. The Albanians first completely
looted the monastery, removing everything that could be taken,
including parts of the wooden roof frame on the church; they
then set fire to the church and all buildings in the monastery
complex. The attackers used pickaxes to break the marble cove
on the tomb of St. Ioannichius of Devic and tore apart the tomb's
contents, finally setting fires around and inside the tomb. The
Devic church was completely destroyed by flames with all sacred
objects inside; the Holy Table was shattered. The walls still
bear the acronyms of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the Kosovo Protection
Corps, the Albanian National Army, and other terrorist organizations
and groups. The looting of the monastery continued for days and
everything surviving the initial attack was taken. In the meanwhile,
Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren managed through last minute
intervention with the French KFOR command to prevent international
troops from leaving Sokolica Monastery after the nuns had already
been forcibly evacuated. After Bishop Artemije, accompanied by
Bishop Atanasije of Zahumlje and Herzegovina (retired) pleaded
and received assurances from KFOR that Sokolica Monastery would
be protected, the sisterhood was returned, and the evacuated
nuns from Devic were brought there also. Unfortunately French
KFOR and its chaplain gave false assurances that Devic Monastery
had not been torched. It was not until the evening of Sunday,
March 20, that Church representatives escorted by international
police were able to visit the burned ruins of the monastery,
and photograph the terrible results of the Albanian pogrom against
this holy shrine.
The following day, March 19, the Serbian church in the village
of Zivinjane (Zhivinyane) near Prizren was also dynamited.
The violence carried out against the Serbian population, its
holy shrines and homes on March 17-19, 2004 was an organized,
pre-planned element of the general Albanian strategy of completely
ethnically cleansing Kosovo and Metohija. The Albanian extremists
and their political mentors showed in practice that the idea
of an independent Kosovo hides a monstrous plan for the creation
of an ethnically pure territory where no Orthodox Christian holy
shrine will be spared and no trace of centuries-old Serbian culture
and spirituality will be tolerated. After five years of silently
observing ethnic cleansing, including the destruction of 112
Orthodox churches, KFOR and UNMIK experienced complete collapse
and ruin in these two days. All laws, institutions, military
and civilian organizations simply ceased to exist. Armed gangs
that torched and burned, attacking the unprotected Serbian population,
ruled Kosovo and Metohija. The international mission found itself
not just in the role of the silent observer but actual accomplice
to ethnic cleansing because many incidents showed that its goal
was not the protection of the Serb population, its property and
its holy shrines.
Two months after the March 2004 pogrom, little in Kosovo and
Metohija has changed for the better. The Serbs who were expelled
still have not been able to return to their homes, and rebuilding
of those homes destroyed has not even begun. Churches and monasteries
still lie in ruins although the monks of Holy Archangels Monastery
and the nuns of Devic Monastery, thanks to their determination,
have returned to the burned ruins of their respective monasteries
to live in portable containers and tents until they can be rebuilt.
The main organizers and inciters of this terrorist and national
chauvinist pogrom have neither been found nor arrested. At the
time of this writing, police have managed to detain some 260
perpetrators directly involved in acts of vandalism. However,
no Albanian leader, municipal administrator, minister or official
of the Kosovo government has yet resigned. No one has been held
accountable, even though it is common knowledge that Kosovo Albanian
leaders, major Albanian media and most Albanian mayors contributed
to the atmosphere of mass lynching with their war-mongering,
nationalistic declarations, and in many cases were direct participants
in the organization of the attacks.
In this March pogrom the Serbian community experienced yet another
painful blow from which it will be difficult to recover. Most
Serbs lack all confidence in KFOR and UNMIK's willingness to
protect the remaining Serbs. Many Serbs who were expelled directly
accuse the Kosovo police of taking part in the crimes, but not
one representative of this organization has been held responsible.
After March 17, 2004, the gradual departure of Serbs continued.
It is every difficult to expect Serbs to return to their destroyed
homes in Obilic, Prizren, Svinjare and Lipljan unless there is
a change in the policy of the international community in Kosovo
and Metohija. If we take into account that so far the reaction
of the international community has been limited to rhetoric and
that the number of KFOR troops has not increased significantly,
there is reason to seriously doubt the sincerity of the international
community in its declared intention to prevent further ethnic
cleansing, the persecution of the Serbian population and destruction
of their cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija. Belgrade's
reaction has also been largely limited to verbal condemnation
and providing humanitarian assistance that it has difficulty
delivering to Kosovo and Metohija.
The Serbian government finally presented a plan for local Serbian
autonomy in Kosovo and Metohija, which is an important bid to
advance the position and rights of the Serbian population. However,
under existing security conditions such a plan is difficult,
if not impossible, to implement as KFOR does not effectively
control the entire territory of the Province. Albanian terrorism
is so rampant and well-defined that two months after the March
pogrom, UNMIK practically no longer exists. In the meanwhile,
attacks on Serbs and Serbian property continue; several more
homes in Lipljan have been torched, and there has been an increase
in the theft of Serbian property and livestock.
The general assessment is that a new escalation of violence
against Serbs is not only possible but unavoidable, and that
without a radical change in the policy of the international community
toward Kosovo and Metohija, the very survival of Serbs in this
region remains under a question mark. It is completely absurd
that a territory where the international community has invested
enormous sums of money and deployed strong NATO forces for the
purpose of protecting multiethnicity and democracy is to become
the most ethnically pure and most lawless part of the European
continent. The policy of concession in the face of Albanian extremism
and terrorism will boomerang on the international community,
especially the European states, because an erroneous policy has
created the foundations for building a terrorist state that will
become a base for the destabilization of the entire Balkan peninsula
and beyond.
SERBS KILLED DURING THE MARCH 2004 POGROM According to information from the Coordinating Center for Kosovo
and Metohija justice administration and human rights section,
a total of nine Serbs were killed during the massive terrorist
armed attack on Serbs on March 17, 2004. Eight died during the
riots and one elderly woman died soon afterwards as a result
of trauma sustained during the attack.
Kosovska Mitrovica:
1. Borivoje Spasojevic, b. Nov. 11, 1941 from K. Mitrovica,
killed Mar. 17, 2004 in K. Mitrovica
2. Jana Tucev, b. Dec. 27, 1968 from K. Mitrovica, killed Mar.
17, 2004 in K. Mitrovica
Lipljan:
3. Nenad Vesic, b. July 4, 1950, killed Mar. 17, 2004 at 7 p.m.
in front of his burning family home before his sister, Radmila
Vesic, and their mother, Ljubica Vesic
Strpce:
4. Dobrivoje Stolic, b. 1955 from Drajkovac, killed Mar. 17,
2004 at 10:40 p.m. in the entrance to his home in Drajkovac,
together with his son, Borko
5. Borko Stolic, b. 1984 from Drajkovac, wounded Mar. 17, 2004
at 10:40 p.m. in the entrance to his home in Drajkovac, died
the following day of his wounds
Gnjilane:
6. Slobodan Peric, son of Milivoj, b. Sep. 3, 1952, physical
education teacher in the village of Kusce, killed Mar. 17, 2004
at 8:50 p.m. in Kralja Petra Street
Kosovo Polje:
7. Zlatibor Trajkovic, b. Sep. 21, 1942 from K. Polje, killed
Mar. 17, 2004 in front of St. Sava School
Prizren:
8. Dragan Nedeljkovic, b. 1943 from Prizren, burned to death
on Mar. 17, 2004 in Prizren Orthodox Seminary
SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES DESTROYED AND DAMAGED
DURING THE MARCH 2004 POGROM
Prizren:
All Prizren churches and other buildings owned by the Serbian
Orthodox Church remaining in Prizren were destroyed on March
17-18, 2004. More attacks, looting and destruction occurred in
the days that followed.
1. Church of the Holy Virgin of Lyevish (Bogorodica Ljeviska),
14th c., torched, 12th-14th c. frescoes damaged, sanctuary desecrated,
Holy Table broken, architectural details damaged
2. Church of Christ the Savior, 14th c., torched, frescoes damaged
3. Cathedral of St. George the Great-Martyr, 1856, torched and
dynamited
4. Church of St. Nicholas (Tutic's church), 14th c., torched
and desecrated
5. Church of St. George (Runovic's church), 16th c., torched,
14th c. frescoes damaged
6. Church of St. Kyriake in Potkaljaja, 14th c., torched
7. Church of St. Panteleimon in Potkaljaja, 14th c., torched
8. Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian in Potkaljaja, 14th c.,
torched
9. Church of St. Kyriake in Zivinjane, dynamited
10. Holy Archangels Monastery, 14th c., torched and looted
--- Sts. Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Seminary in downtown Prizren,
torched
--- Bishop's residence in Prizren and sexton's residence on
premises, torched
Orahovac:
11. Church of St. Kyriake in Brnjaca, 1852, desecrated, priest's
residence burned
Djakovica:
12. Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, 16th
c., and two priest's residences, torched and leveled with the
ground
--- Holy Trinity Cathedral. Two bell towers that survived dynamiting
of the church in summer 199 were leveled with the ground. The
Albanians subsequently removed all the remains of the church.
13. Church of St. Lazarus in Piskote, damaged in 1999 and 2001,
completely destroyed, cemetery destroyed, priest's residence
damaged.
14. Church of St. Elijah near Bistrazina, damaged in 1999, completely
destroyed by explosives
Srbica:
15. Devic Monastery, 15th c., completely torched. Tomb of St.
Joanikije of Devic opened and desecrated, fires set in and around
the tomb.
Pec:
16. Church of St. John the Fore-runner aka the Metropolitanate
with priest's residence and apartments, torched
17. Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in Belo Polje, torched
in 1999, restored in 2003 by returnees, again torched
Urosevac:
18. Cathedral of the Holy Emperor Uros, torched, cemetery destroyed
19. Church of St. Elijah in Varos, destroyed together with village
cemetery
20. Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Tainovici, torched, cemetery
destroyed
21. Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in Sovtovic, destroyed
together with Orthodox cemetery
Kosovska Kamenica:
22. Church in the village of Donja Sisasnica, damaged
Stimlje:
23. Church of St. Michael the Archangel, 1920, torched. Bell
tower torched in Jan. 2004.
Pristina:
24. Church of St. Nicholas, 16th c., torched and destroyed,
priest's residence destroyed, two old tombs near the church desecrated
and human remains from them scattered.
Kosovo Polje:
25. Church of St. Nicholas, 1940, torched
26. Church of St. Catherine in Bresje, desecrated and looted
Vucitrn:
27. Church of St. Elijah, 19th c., previously looted and damaged,
torched, priest's residence and church utility buildings destroyed
together with the Orthodox cemetery next to the church.
Obilic:
28. Church of St. Michael, newly built, torched
Kosovska Mitrovica:
29. Church of St. Sava in South Mitrovica, torched TWICE in
as many days, priest's residence in churchyard also torched
Podujevo:
30. Church of St. Andrew the First-called, 1929, dynamited and
destroyed, bell tower destroyed, Orthodox cemetery dug up and
human remains literally scattered
Source: "Memorandum on Kosovo and Metohija" by
the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church,
Belgrade
2003 (2004)
SALES EXHIBITION OF ICONS AND FRESCOES
TO BENEFIT SERBS IN KOSOVO
AND METOHIJA
On the anniversary of the March 2004 pogrom against the Serbs
of Kosovo and Metohija and the torching and destruction of Orthodox
Christian holy shrines, on March 17, 2005 at 6:00 p.m., a sales
exhibition of icons and copies of frescoes from the churches
and monasteries of Kosovo and Metohija will be opened in the
Gallery of Frescoes in Belgrade, Cara Urosa Street number 20.
The icons and frescoes, works by the students of the Serbian
Orthodox Church Academy of Arts and Conservation from the class
of Professor Goran Janicijevic, will be exhibited in the Gallery
of Frescoes until March 24, 2005.
The exhibition will be opened by His Holiness Patriarch Pavle,
and Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Dr. Dimitrije Kalezic will be delivering
the welcoming remarks. After the opening addresses, there will
be a discussion on the events of the March pogrom and the present
day life of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the
book “Kosovo Lost?” published by IK Hriscanska Misao.
Also in the Gallery of Frescoes, Dr. Predrag Ristic, professor
at the Serbian Orthodox Church Academy of Arts, will be lecturing
on March 21 at 6:00 p.m. on the topic “Traces of Logos in the
foundations of Holy Archangels”, and on March 24 at 6:00 p.m.
Miroslav Stanojlovic, also a professor at the Academy, will speak
on “Painting conservation work on the frescoes of the Church
of the Ascension at the monastery of Milesevo (The Last Supper
and St. Sava)”. While the exhibition is open short concerts will
also be held by the choir of the Theological Faculty of the Serbian
Orthodox Church (March 17), the choir of the churches of the
Most Holy Theotokos - Ruzica and St. Paraskeva in Kalemegdan
Park (March 21) and the Unity Choir of the church of St. George
in Smederevo (March 24), which on that occasion will be joining
the Association of Serbian Choirs.
All proceeds from icons and frescoes that are sold will be donated
to the Fund for Kosovo and Metohija.
BISHOP IRINEJ OF BACKA TO TAKE PART IN LITERARY EVENING DEDICATED
TO MATIJA BECKOVIC
His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa has accepted the kind invitation
of Radio Television Novi Sad and Orfeus Publishing of Novi Sad
to participate in a literary evening dedicated to academician
Matija Beckovic scheduled to take place on Friday, March 18,
at 7:00 p.m. in Novi Sad’s Studio M. The Diocese of Backa invites
all interested parties to attend this event.
From the Office of the Bishop of Backa
COMMUNIQUE
FROM ROUNDTABLE ON RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN SERBIA
It is now the fourth year since our schools have reinstated
religious instructions after a pause of several decades. Thanks
to this, our schools have acquired the necessary spiritual dimension.
In accordance with contemporary needs, religious instruction
strives to be a modern and interesting subject relevant to the
student. It is perhaps too early to gauge to what extent it is
succeeding in this; however, in any case, it is necessary to
continually track and enhance its delivery. Plans, programs and
texts for religious instruction can be improved and made more
appropriate to the students. Moreover, religious instruction
is an especially delicate subject where it is by no means simple
to present complex truths and experiences to children of elementary
and secondary school age in a manner that is both clear and memorable
to them.
The Ministry of Education and Sports, the Ministry of Religions,
the Institute for School Textbooks and Instructional Materials,
and the Government Commission for Religious Instruction in Elementary
and Secondary Schools organized a roundtable held on March 15,
2005 in the Institute for Text Books about the plans, programs
and textbooks for religious instruction which were discussed
in a highly open and well-intentioned manner. Special attention
was dedicated to the harmonization of plans, programs and textbooks
among the various traditional churches and religious communities,
as well as to the issue of harmonization of religious instruction
in general with other school subjects and texts.
Main conclusions:
The confessional concept of religious instruction, enhanced
by multi-confessional content, is most in keeping with the spirit
of the religious culture of our lands.
Openness to cooperation of theologians with pedagogues, psychologists,
sociologists, writers, artists and other participating experts
will contribute to enhancing the quality of religious instruction.
The great importance of religious instruction is that in addition
to theological education in the narrow sense it offers education
and cultivation of the individual, thus representing an essential
bridge between school and life.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005, 11:00 a.m.
Institute for School Textbooks and Instructional Materials, Belgrade
[Serbian
Translation Services]
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