Kosovo: No Justice For Serb Children Massacred In Gorazdevac?

Seven years after the attack on Serb children at the banks of the river Bistrica in Gorazdevac, when two boys were murdered and four youngsters seriously wounded, the perpetrators remain at large. At the anniversary ceremony, one of the survivors, now 22-year-old Bogdan Bukumirovic announced he will look for justice at the International Court of Justice in Strasbourg.

On August 13th in 2003, Bukumirovic and five of his friends were attacked while having their summer breaks on the beach at the river Bistrica. The attacker shot about 90 bullets from the automatic gun – two boys were shot dead, Ivan Jovovic (19) and Pantelija Dakic (12). The others, Djordje Ugrenovic (20), Bogdan Bukumirovic (14), Marko Bogicevic (12) and Dragana Srbljak (13), were seriously wounded. The attack came from the direction of the nearby Albanian village of Zahac.

In addition, shortly after, an ambulance carrying Bukumirovic was also attacked on its way to the hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Seven years later, the perpetrators of this crime remain unknown, there are neither suspects nor charges. At the memorial service, which was held in the Church of the Most Holy Mother of God in Gorazdevac, Bukumirovic, who was shot 7 times, said that the international representatives did nothing to find the perpetrators, so he will not give up on the lawsuit before the International Court in Strasbourg.

At the same time, the EULEX spokeswoman Irina Gudeljevic stated that the investigation on murders in Gorazdevac led by EULEX Prosecutor is coming to an end, though there are still no suspects.

Before 1999, there were 2,000 Serbs living in Gorazdevac – now there are only 850.

The Serbian media remind that the crime in Gorazdevac is not the only crime against Serbs in the period after the 1999 which has remained unsolved.

In July 1999, 14 farmers were shot dead while working in their fields near the village of Lipljane. The suspect, Maslum Bitici, an ethnic Albanian, was arrested shortly after the attack but set free two months later due to the lack of evidence.

In February 2001, the bomb attack on the bus carrying Serb pilgrims to the religious ceremony in Gracanica left 12 dead, and 40 wounded some of them women and children. The suspect, Kosovo Albanian former militant, Florim Ejupi, was released from the detention due to the lack of evidence against him.

In June 2003, Slobodan Stolic (80), his wife Radmila (74) and their son Ljubinko (54) were murdered in their family house in Oblic. The attackers set the house on fire, in order to cover up traces. So far, the investigation didn’t give results on the perpetrators.

On 17th March 2004, the major ethnic Albanian pogrom against Serbs in Kosovo took place: the Serbs’ property, monuments and sanctuaries of the Serbian Orthodox Church were destroyed, and more than 4,000 people displaced. 10 Serbs and 8 Albanians were killed.

In Jun 2004, a 17-year-old Dimitrije Popovic was shot dead at the street while buying a fast-food.

In July 2010, the bomb thrown on Serb protesters in kosovska Mitrovica killed doctor Mesud Dzekovic, and wounded 11 persons.