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New Martyrs of Our Times This page is dedicated to our monks Fr. Hariton and Fr. Stefan who were executed by Kosovo Albanian terrorists during the bloody aftermath of Kosovo war. They were abducted and killed only because they were Orthodox Serb monks. With their martyric death they suffered for Christ together with many other killed Christian Serbs and more than 100 destroyed or desecrated Orthodox churches in Kosovo and Metohija. May they rest in peace with the Lord whom they loved so much.
(1960-1999) Fr. Chariton Lukic was a monk in the Holy Archangels Monastery near Prizren. He was born on November 21, 1960 in central Serbia and became a monk in Kosovo in 1995. Fr. Chariton was kidnapped by armed persons wearing UCK (KLA) uniforms and insignia on June 16 in the streets of Prizren. In the time of his disappearance the German KFOR troops have already entered Prizren area. Unfortunately they were followed by armed gangs of UCK extremists who have killed and kidnapped a dozen of Serbs in the city during the first days. The body of Fr. Chariton was found near Prizren on August 8th, 2000. The body was decapitated and severely mutilated. The head of Fr. Chariton has not yet been found. According to the forensic report the remains of Fr. Hariton was found in an unmarked individual grave in the cemetery of the Albanian village of Tusus near Prizren. There are many evidences that the body was left in the open air after the murder because only skeleton remains. Several ribs our found broken as well as the left hand. The head and a few vertebrae are missing. The body was found dressed in the clothes displayed on the photo (down). The sweater is found cut in the front side which might suggest that Fr. Hariton's belly was ripped. The holes around the area of heart are found which also might suggest that he was stabbed by knife. In any case it was a painful death. With his clothes the investigators have found his ID and the praying rope. All evidence and the forensic report have already been handed over to ICTY investigators who will procede with the investigation of this crime.
Fr.
Chariton on the day of his tonsure
) The ID of Fr. Chariton and his praying rope
MNEME AIONION - PAX AETERNAM - VJECNAJA PAMJAT Requiem service in front of Fr. Hariton's remains, Gracanica Monastery, Nov 12 2000 photo 1, (135 KB), photo 2, (280 Kb)
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Fr. Chariton was kidnapped by the KLA Albanian extremists on June 14th 1999 in the streets of Prizren. His body was found one year later on August 8th 2000 near Prizren. According to the post mortem report Fr. Chariton's body was decapitated and severely mutilated. He was stabbed several times by knife. The perpertrators of this murder have not yet been found.
Beside Fr. Chariton one more cleric of our Diocese was abducted by the armed UCK rebels. This is Fr. Stephen, a priest-monk in Budisavci Monastery near Klina. He was abducted on July 19, 1999 and since then nothing is known about him. According to unconfirmed information from the Albanian side Fr. Stephen was muredered and his body was thrown in an empty well and covered with carcasses of animals.
THE HISTORY IS REPEATING These cases are not the first time the Orthodox clergy was exposed to murders and terror by the Albanian extremists and nationalist. Only during the Second World War Albanian Nazis belonging to the SS Skanderbey Division killed many priests and monks, desecrated numerous churches and killed more than 10.000 Orthodox Christians in Kosovo. As today at that time Kosovo was under protectorate of another country, Mussolini's Italy.
Martyr
Archdeacon Gavrilo of Decani
Fr. Gavrilo, the monk of Decani Monastery, was arrested by communistsafter the Second World war and tortured in a prison in Pec. Finally the communist authorities sentenced him as a traitor and sent to infamous Sremska Mitrovica prison, near Belgrade where he died in most humiliating conditions. His only sin was that he openly resisted the new post-war ungodly rulers who launched persecution against the Orthodox Church which was branded as a reactionary and anti revolutionary force and had to disappear in a new communist society.
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