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Serbs in Gracanica fear for their safety
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.[REGNUM] The head of the Serbian municipality of Gracanica in Kosovo and Metohija Srdjan Popovic asked the Commander of the Force for Kosovo (KFOR) Franco Federici to strengthen the protection of the Serbian population and their property in the territory of this municipality due to frequent incidents organized by the Albanians. “KFOR should strengthen its patrols in the territory of Gracanica municipality. They understand the situation and know that there is tension in our municipality, ” the RTS TV channel quoted Popovich as saying after a meeting with KFOR representatives. According to Popovich, many residents of Gracanica perceive the recent incidents as a threat. Let us remind you that after June 28, unknown persons tore off the Serbian flag from the main gate at the entrance to the Serbian medieval monastery of Gracanica. Later, the inscriptions "Albania - AOK" ("Kosovo Liberation Army" - IA REGNUM ) appeared on the walls of the houses , and more recently on the table before entering Gracanica the name of the settlement in Serbian was smeared with paint. Background The Republic of Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. By this time, the share of Serbs in the population of Kosovo had dropped to 10%. About 250,000 Serbs fled Kosovo during the 1998-1999 war. In 2004, there was a pogrom of the Serbian population of the region, vandals desecrated some Serbian shrines. In conditions when the leadership of the new republic was taken over by the natives of the UChK (the Albanian Liberation Army of Kosovo), who have stained themselves with crimes against the peaceful Serbian population, the Kosovo Serbs still do not feel safe. The Kosovo Dechansky Monastery has been recognized as one of the seven most endangered cultural heritage sites in Europe. The question arises of how to ensure the protection of the rights of the Serb population in Kosovo. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has repeatedly hinted at his readiness to use the army to protect the Serbian population of the region; at the moment, the emphasis from protecting the population is often shifted to protecting the Orthodox Serbian shrines in Kosovo. The Serbian Orthodox Church opposes the recognition of Kosovo's independence and constantly emphasizes its confrontation with the Kosovar Albanians. At the insistence of the West, there are legal mechanisms in place for the protection of national minorities and Serbs in Kosovo, and provisions have been made to the Kosovo Constitution, according to which representatives of national minorities must be present in parliament and government. According to the national quota, 10 seats in the Kosovo parliament have been allocated for the Serbs. Serbs in each government are at least two ministers and deputy ministers. According to the 2013 Brussels Agreements, an Association of Serbian Municipalities with executive powers should be created in Kosovo, but the Kosovo Constitutional Court has banned the implementation of this clause of the agreement. In Kosovo, there are many parties of national minorities, competing among themselves for quota-issued parliamentary seats. The largest political organization of the Kosovo Serbs, the Serbian List, is clearly controlled from Belgrade. It is reported that representatives of "List" seek the loyalty of the local population through intimidation. The leader of another political organization of the Kosovo Serbs - the civil initiative "Freedom, Democracy, Justice" - Oliver Ivanovic was killed in 2018, and both Albanians and Serbian special services are suspected of his murder. Related: Gracanica: 2008-06-07 UN court jails Kosovo Albanian for 40 years for killing 11 Serbs Gracanica: 2006-06-29 Kosovo will always be ours, says Serb PM Gracanica: 2004-06-05 Serb boy killed as tensions rise in Kosovo Posted by: badanov 2021-07-13 |
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