|
June 7,
2003
ERP KIM Newsletter
07-06-03
FUTURE OF KOSOVO
CANNOT BE BUILT ON BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT
Burrial of the massacred Serb family in Obilic, June 6,
2003
CONTENTS:
BISHOP ARTEMIJE: FUTURE OF
KOSOVO CANNOT BE BUILT ON BLOOD OF THE INNNOCENT
Bishop Artemije and his priests
officieated a burrial service for the massacred Serb family in Obilic -
During the burrial ceremony many Albanians hoisted flags, called out
insults and swore at the funeral procession
BISHOP ARTEMIJE VISITS VITINA AND VRBOVAC AFTER THE LATEST
SERIES OF CRIMES AND ATTACKS
"The Church has
been, is now and will remain with its faithful believers, sharing their
fate. Crimes, such as the one that occurred yesterday in Obilic and such
as the murder of Zoran Mirkovic here in Vrbovac, must not go unpunished.
The international community must finally put an end to the systemic
violence being carried out under its auspices against the defenseless Serb
people of Kosovo and Metohija," Bishop Artemije told Kosovsko Pomoravlje
Serbs
OFFICIAL POLICE REPORT ON OBILIC MASSACRE - FAMILY MURDERED
IN BRUTAL ATTACK
All three
had been savagely beaten as they slept. Weapons had been used to inflict
injury although the nature of those weapons is unknown. Police believe
that the killers deliberately set the fire in the house to conceal their
attack.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS KOSOVO SITUATION ON JUNE 10
Covic said
that the people of Kosovo can no longer live on certain international
officials' empty promises of freedom of movement, security, stability and
tolerance in Kosovo-Metohija. He also demanded for the quick arrest of the
murderers of the Stolic family from Obilic.
SECOND PROTEST GATHERING IN GRACANICA
Serbs
request immediate arrest of the perpertrators and moratorioum on the
transfer of authorities from UNMIK to Kosovo institutions
STOLIC'S TORTURED PRIOR TO BEING MURDERED
Radmila and
Ljubinko Stolic were murdered shortly after the evening meal and that
signs of kicking and blows with a blunt object were visible on all three
of the bodies. Both of Ljubinko's arms were broken, as well as his ribs on
both sides. Slobodan sustained six wounds from a blunt object just on his
head.
CONDEMNATIONS OF THE MURDER OF SERB FAMILY IN OBILIC
MAKFAX KUMANOVO, MACEDONIA: BOMB BLAST INJURES TWO PERSONS -
ANA SUSPECT
STOLIC MURDER PROOF OF
INADEQUACY OF STEINER'S POLICY
More News
Available on our:
KOSOVO DAILY
NEWS LIST (KDN)
KDN Archive
This newsletter is available on our
ERP KIM Web-site:
/erpkiminfo.html
SUGGESTED LINK:
Human Rights Abuses in
Post-war Kosovo
BISHOP ARTEMIE: FUTURE OF KOSOVO CANNOT BE BUILT ON BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT
Bishop Artemije and his priests
officieated a burrial service for the massacred Serb family in Obilic -
During the burrial ceremony many Albanians hoisted flags, called out
insults and swore at the funeral procession
TOP
BK
TV, ERP KIM Info-Service
June 6, 2003
Stolic
family members, Slobodan, Radmila and Ljubinko, killed by Albanian
terrorists three days ago in Obilic, were buried today around 1400hrs in
near village of Crkvena vodica (Church water). This crime happened on the
4th annual of signing the Kumanovo agreement which marked the end of
almost three months of NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
More than thousand Serbs from all the enclaves of Central Kosmet attended
the funeral, and Bishop Artemije and the priests from Raska – Prizren
Diocese held the funeral service. He strongly accused Kosovo's
international administration of hypocricy over the murder. "The crimes
committed against the Serbs are still happening after 4 years, beside the
presence of the International Community, and it’s a high time to do
something to prevent the further Serb exodus," said Bishop Artemije adding
that "future of Kosovo and Metohija cannot be built on blood of the
innocent". The Bishiop also called on Kosovo Serbs to keep their faith and
stay in their homes and not allow Albanian extremists to accomplish their
goal - ethnically clean Kosovo and Metohija.
Momcilo Trajkovic, the President of the Serb "Resistance" movement from
Kosovo, Coordination Center officials from Belgrade, and "Povratak"
Coalition representatives attended the funeral. Oliver Ivanovic, the
Kosovo Parliament Presidency member strongly condemned the Stolic’s
murder, and added that Serbs have a right to complain regarding the
unsatisfactory International Community results.
"We are preparing a letter which will be sent to many officials, at first
to Kofi Annan, Lord Robertson (which means NATO), and Javier Solana, to
the 5 countries ambassadors in Belgrade (the Contact Group and Russia),
and to the 6 countries ambassadors and offices in Pristina. There is a
need to do something, this cannot to continue anymore," said Oliver
Ivanovic.
Beside
the Kosovo President and Prime Minister's appeals, before and at the time
of the funeral, the most extreme of Albanians have hoisted Albanian flags,
called out insults and swore at the funeral procession, but there were no
incidents only thanks to the Norwegian KFOR members.
TOP
BISHOP ARTEMIJE VISITS VITINA AND VRBOVAC AFTER THE LATEST SERIES OF
CRIMES AND ATTACKS
"The
Church has been, is now and will remain with its faithful believers,
sharing their fate. Crimes, such as the one that occurred yesterday in
Obilic and such as the murder of Zoran Mirkovic here in Vrbovac, must not
go unpunished. The international community must finally put an end to the
systemic violence being carried out under its auspices against the
defenseless Serb people of Kosovo and Metohija," Bishop Artemije told
Kosovsko Pomoravlje Serbs
TOP
ERP
KIM Info Service
Gracanica, 05 June 2003
On Thursday, June 5, Bishop Artemije and representatives of the Serb
National Council of Kosovo and Metohija visited Kosovska Vitina and
Vrbovac to celebrate the religious holiday of the Ascension of Our Lord
Jesus Christ with the people and distribute humanitarian aid collected by
the Diocese. After Holy Liturgy in the Orthodox cathedral in Vitina,
Bishop Artemije and Dr. Rada Trajkovic spoke with Serb representatives of
the Vitina region who informed them of the exceptionally difficult
situation of Serbs living in Kosovsko Pomoravlje.
Serbs from
Vitina told the Bishop that security and living conditions in the region
are very unfavorable, especially since the most recent crimes and attacks
against Serbs in Vrbovac and Vitina. People also complained that they are
not getting almost any assistance from the Serbian state and they feel
completely abandoned. There is great hypocrisy and intolerance on the
Albanian side, claimed the Serb representatives. According to their
testimony, publicly the Albanians express their willingness for the
development of normal interethnic relations while in reality the Serbs
remain exposed to daily repression and discrimination. They are exposed to
continuous pressure to sell their homes and leave their centuries-old
homes.
An
especially sore point with the Serbs of this region is the fact that
international representatives of UNMIK and U.S. KFOR have not demonstrated
a sincere willingness to end Albanian violence and, not infrequently,
openly tolerate the reinforcement of the terrorist self-proclaimed
Albanian National Army. Whenever an attack against Serbs occurs, the
typical response is that KFOR forces swoop down on a Serb settlement and
carry out house to house searches while the Albanian attackers flee from
the scene unpunished.
The hypocritical attitude of
international institutions and local Albanian authorities toward the Serbs
was more than apparent following the murder of Zoran Mirkovic on May 17 in
Vrbovac. Despite the fact that Serbs had ample evidence of the involvement
of ANA terrorists, international representatives covered the whole
incident up over night and even said that it probably was not an
ethnically motivated crime, thus de facto suggesting that Mirkovic was
killed by Serbs, which represents the ultimate level of hypocrisy. The
perpetrators of this loathsome crime, as usual, were not found.
Despite
persistent attempts to present a false picture of idyllic interethnic
relations to the general public, the reality of daily life is completely
different and it is misleading to speak about any kind of substantial
improvement in the lives of local Serbs, concluded the Serb
representatives who spoke with Bishop Artemije.
After Kosovska Vitina, Bishop Artemije
was escorted by UNMIK police to the village of Vrbovac where a requiem
service (parastos) was served for all Serbs murdered in Kosovo and
Metohija. In his homily Bishop Artemije wished local Serbs a happy holiday
of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ and encouraged them to be
resolute and determined and remain in their centuries-old homes without
losing hope in a better future. "The Church has been, is now and will
remain with its faithful believers, sharing their fate. Crimes, such as
the one that occurred yesterday in Obilic and such as the murder of Zoran
Mirkovic here in Vrbovac, must not go unpunished. The international
community must finally put an end to the systemic violence being carried
out under its auspices against the defenseless Serb people of Kosovo and
Metohija," Bishop Artemije told the gathered Serbs.
TOP
The house in which three elderly Serbs were murdered and burnt
OFFICIAL POLICE REPORT ON OBILIC MASSACRE - FAMILY MURDERED IN BRUTAL
ATTACK
All three had been savagely beaten as they slept. Weapons had been used to
inflict injury although the nature of those weapons is unknown. Police
believe that the killers deliberately set the fire in the house to conceal
their attack.
TOP
UNMIK POLICE,
PRISTINA
June 4, 2003
FAMILY MURDERED IN BRUTAL ATTACK
Police are investigating the brutal killing of three Kosovo Serbian family
members in Obiliq on Tuesday night.
Dead are 80 year old Slobodan Stolic, his 78 year old wife Radmila and
their 55 year old son Ljubinko.
Their bodies were found inside the family home on Hasan Pristina Street in
Obiliq. Police and the Fire Brigade had been called to the house at 0230
hrs in response to reports of a house fire. The fire was quickly
extinguished and a search of the house located the bodies of the victims,
who had apparently died in their beds.
All three had been savagely beaten as they slept. Weapons had been used to
inflict injury although the nature of those weapons is unknown. Police
believe that the killers deliberately set the fire in the house to conceal
their attack.
Missing from the home is the family car and Police request the assistance
of the public to find and report any sightings of this vehicle – a white
LADA SAMARA 1300 – bearing license PR – 760 – 61.
Police have established a special investigative task force to investigate
this crime that will operate from Pristina Region.
This horrific attack on an elderly family, asleep in their beds, is
shocking for its brutality and its cowardliness. The police will dedicate
whatever resources are needed to bring these criminals to justice and we
ask for the cooperation of the public to ensure that these dangerous
offenders are identified and arrested.
Derek CHAPPELL
Chief of Information Press Officer
Angela TRIJNES-JOSEPH
UNMIK Police MHQ UNMIK Police MHQ
Pristina
TOP
UN
SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS KOSOVO SITUATION ON JUNE 10
Covic
said that the people of Kosovo can no longer live on certain international
officials' empty promises of freedom of movement, security, stability and
tolerance in Kosovo-Metohija. He also demanded for the quick arrest of the
murderers of the Stolic family from Obilic.
TOP
SERBIAN
GOVERNMENT
June 05, 2003
Belgrade, June 5, 2003 - Head of the Coordinating Centre for
Kosovo-Metohija Nebojsa Covic announced Thursday that Serbian and
Montenegrin Ambassador to the United Nations Dejan Sahovic will present
the position of the Belgrade authorities on the situation in
Kosovo-Metohija at the UN Security Council's June 10 session.
Covic said that the people of Kosovo can no longer live on certain
international officials' empty promises of freedom of movement, security,
stability and tolerance in Kosovo-Metohija. He also demanded for the quick
arrest of the murderers of the Stolic family from Obilic.
Covic stressed that the situation in Kosovo-Metohija needs to be put into
order.
He also underlined the importance of the adoption of two conclusions at
the upcoming Thessaloniki Summit: that Pristina and Belgrade need to begin
immediate talks and that creation of democratic institutions in the whole
of the region is necessary for European integration.
TOP
SECOND
PROTEST GATHERING IN GRACANICA
Serbs request immediate
arrest of the perpertrators and moratorioum on the transfer of authorities
from UNMIK to Kosovo institutions
TOP
BETA News
Agency, Belgrade
GRACANICA, 05 June 2003
More than a
thousand Serbs gathered for demonstrations in Gracanica to protest the
murder of three members of the Stolic family of Obilic demanded that the
international community ensure "the right to life for the Serb
community.
After the protest, which passed without incident, a statement was issued
demanding the immediate arrest of the perpetrators of this crime against
Serbs, as well a moratorium on the process of transfer of authorities from
UNMIK to provisional Kosovo institutions.
Also requested was the discovery of the fate of kidnapped and missing
Serbs, the consistent implementation of Resolution 1244 and the return of
the Serbia and Montenegro army and police in order to protect the
remaining Serbs in the Province.
The protestors asked the state union of Serbia and Montenegro to become
more engaged in resolving the problem, to schedule an extraordinary
session of the Serbian Parliament devoted to problems in Kosovo and
Metohija, and the relocation of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and
Metohija to the Province.
After the demands were read, the protestors started out on a peaceful
march through the main street in Gracanica.
Present at the protest were Serb deputies from the Return Coalition
(Povratak), who walked out of the parliamentary session in Pristina today
to protest the murder of the three Stolices.
COVERING UP A
CRIME IS A BIGGER CRIME
05 June (KIM
Radio)
“We demand
that the UNMIK Chief Michael Steiner disband the Institutions,” said Rada
Trajkovic, the Kosovo Parliament member and Vice-president of the Demo-
Christian Party.
After the Gracanica protest, Trajkovic stated for the KIM Radio that if
the “Povratak” Coalition members stay in the Kosovo Parliament, they would
be in comparison with those who commit the crimes over the Serbs.
“The murder of the three Serbs in Obilic is a dirty crime, as is the
covering it up, like the statement of the Obilic Police representatives
is, that the Stolic family got suffocated in the fire,” stated Trajkovic
today in Gracanica.
TOP
STOLICS TORTURED PRIOR TO BEING MURDERED
Radmila and Ljubinko
Stolic were murdered shortly after the evening meal and that signs of
kicking and blows with a blunt object were visible on all three of the
bodies. Both of Ljubinko's arms were broken, as well as his ribs on both
sides. Slobodan sustained six wounds from a blunt object just on his head.
TOP
BETA NEWS
AGENCY - BELGRADE
GRACANICA, 05 June 2003
Dr.
Slavisa Dobricanin, the head of the Bureau for Identification of the
Coordinating
Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, told Beta News Agency today that the
members of the Stolic family in Obilic will killed by blows with blunt
objects to the head.
Dobricanin, who conducted an autopsy of the bodies with international
experts at the institute in Orahovac, emphasized that Radmila and Ljubinko
Stolic were murdered shortly after the evening meal and that signs of
kicking and blows with a blunt object were visible on all three of the
bodies.
Both of Ljubinko's arms were broken, as well as his ribs on both sides.
Slobodan sustained six wounds from a blunt object just on his head.
Dobricanin added that it is likely that Ljubinko was attacked with a knife
as there were superficial wounds on his body sustained while resisting.
He also said the autopsy revealed that there were no traces of burns on
the bodies, with the exception of one minor one.
Dobricanin emphasizes that everything suggests that the Stolic family
resisted their attackers, as well as that the attackers subsequently
tortured them.
TOP
CONDEMNATIONS OF THE MURDER IN OBILIC
TOP
Source: UN Security Council
Date: 6 Jun 2003
Press statement on Kosovo by
Security Council President
SC/7781
Following is today's press statement on Kosovo by Security Council
President Sergey Lavrov (Russian Federation):
Members of the Security Council strongly condemned the murder in Obilic on
4 June of the elderly Kosovo-Serb family - 82-year-old Slobodan Stolic,
his wife and son.
Council Members fully supported the efforts initiated by Special
Representative of the Secretary-General, Michael Steiner, to conduct an
urgent investigation and to bring to justice the perpetrators of this
despicable crime.
Members of the Council underscored that such acts undermine the joint
efforts of the international community, on the basis of Security Council
resolutions, aimed at fostering ethnic reconciliation in Kosovo, towards
building a multi-ethnic and tolerant society with equal security for all
and necessary conditions for the safe return of refugees and
internally displaced persons.
SERBIAN GOVERNMENT
June 6, Belgrade
US, EU ambassadors to OSCE
condemn murder of Serb family in Kosovo
Vienna, June 5, 2003 - At a session of the OSCE Permanent Council on
Friday, the ambassadors of the United States and the European Union to the
OSCE severely condemned the murder of the Stolic family in the Kosovo town
of Obilic. Serbian and Montenegrin Ambassador to Austria Branislav
Milinkovic initiated discussion on the crime, describing it as yet another
tragic example of the difficult position of minorities in Kosovo.
Milinkovic said that the objective of Kosovo Albanians is to drive Serbs
out of Kosovo and prevent the return of the displaced to the province. He
added that figures showing a fall in ethnic violence are due to the fact
that Serbs as well as other ethnic minorities are forced to live in
isolated enclaves.
Greek Ambassador to the OSCE Aristidis Santis also condemned the murder
and called for bringing the perpetrators to justice. He also expressed
support to the return of displaced persons to Kosovo.
US Ambassador to the OSCE Stephen Minikes described the murder as the most
horrible example of intolerance and inability to accept cohabitation.
According to Minikes, the US regards the Obilic murder as an attack on the
efforts of the US and its allies to create a multiethnic Kosovo.
Chairman of the OSCE Permanent Council, Dutch Ambassador Justus de Visser
announced that the OSCE Mission in Kosovo will compile a special report on
the murder of the Serb family in Obilic.
TOP
MAKFAX KUMANOVO, MACEDONIA: BOMB GLAST INJURES TWO PERSONS - ANA SUSPECTED
TOP
MAKFAX,
MACEDONIA
Web posted June 05, 2003
Kumanovo - Last night around 2 o'clock after midnight, a handmade bomb
exploded in front of a building near the square in Kumanovo. Noone is
killed, but at least dozen inhabitants of the building were injured from
the broken glass of the windows while they were sleeping.
The Police says that the bomb was made of TNT explosive and was set to
cause fear. Planting the bomb inside the building would have resulted in
its collapse.
There are no suspects for this new bomb attack in Kumanovo. There are
rumours among the local population that the bomb Attack is an act of ANA
(Albanian National Army).
(Irina Gelevska)
TOP
STOLIC MURDER PROOF OF INADEQUACY OF STEINER'S POLICIES
TOP
BETA NEWS
AGENCY, BELGRADE
BELGRADE, 05 June 2003
Momcilo
Trajkovic, the president of the Serbian Resistance Movement (SPOT),
assessed
today that the murder of the three members of the Stolic family is part of
a strategy by which Albanian separatists want to frighten the Serb
community.
"By committing murder the separatists are attempting to prevent the
planned return of Serbs, even though the international community has
indicated returns are a priority in this year," said Trajkovic at a
conference in Belgrade.
Trajkovic blamed the international community and UNMIK chief Michael
Steiner for the murders, saying that they are " powerless and incapable of
realizing their own program." "Instead of solving problems they are
producing a crisis," assessed Trajkovic.
Trajkovic announced that the convention of the movement for Kosovo and
Metohija, where program goals and a declaration of intent will be
presented to show the international community and the Albanians our
readiness for dialogue, will be held on June 21, 2003.
The reason for the delay of the convention, which was supposed to have
been held on June 7 in the Belgrade Sava Center, is the funeral of the
murdered members of the Stolic family, said Trajkovic.
TOP
ERP KIM
Info-Service is the official Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox
Diocese of Raska and Prizren and works with the blessing of His Grace
Bishop Artemije.
Our Information Service is distributing news on Kosovo related issues. The
main focus of the Info-Service is the life of the Serbian Orthodox Church
and the Serbian community in the Province of Kosovo and Metohija. ERP KIM
Info Service works in cooperation with
www.serbian-translation.com as well as the
Kosovo
Daily News (KDN) News List
Disclaimer:
The views expressed by the authors of newspaper articles or other texts
which are not official communiqués or news reports by the Diocese are
their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Serbian
Orthodox Church
If you received this
message by error or you don`t want to receive our e-mails anymore, please
write to us: erpkim@kosovo.net
Our Newsletters are
available on our ERP KIM Info-service Web-Page:
/erpkiminfo.html
Additional
information on our Diocese and the life of the Kosovo Serb Community may
be found at:
Copyright 2003, ERP KIM Info-Service
|
