Six years after crime in Gorazdevac - killers at large
The sixth anniversary of the terrorist attack by Albanian extremists in which two Serb boys were killed and four youths injured on the bank of the River Bistrica will be marked in Gorazdevac, near Pec, on Thursday.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Wednesday, August 12, 2009
This monstrous crime shocked Serbia and was strongly condemned by international representatives, but the investigation into the crime is still at the beginning.
That hot summer day, 13th August 2003, about 100 boys and girls from the Serb enclave of Gorazdevac in Metohija arrived on the banks of the Bistrica River to enjoy the fresh river waters and company during their summer leave.
The children's play and laughter was interrupted suddenly by the machine-gun burst coming from the direction of the Albanian-populated village of Zahac.
The terrorists fired 90 bullets and killed Igor Jovovic (19) on site, while Pantelija Dakic (13) died upon arrival in the Pec hospital.
Bogdan Bukumiric (15) and Marko Bogiceevic (11) were seriously injured, while Dragana Srbljak (14) and Djordje Ugrenovic (20) received light injuries.
UNMIK and KFOR chiefs, representatives of the EU, USA, France, Russia and Kosovo officials condemned the crime in Gorazdevac.
On August 17, Albanian extremists again opened fire at five Serbian children in the center of Gorazdevac, but, fortunately, no one was killed.
UNMIK Police Chief Stefan Feller stated after the crime that he would turn every stone to find the children's killers.
Despite that and an award of one million euro, issued by UNMIK, an indictment has yet to be issued.
Kosovo Police Service spokesman Arber Beka said Wednesday that the investigation into the attack had made no progress.
"The investigation continued with UNMIK police and a team of investigators. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of the cowardly crime have not been found to date," said Beka.
"There is no doubt that all those familiar with the perpetrator of the crime have decided by now not to speak about it," underscored Beka.
Meanwhile, Serbia's Secretary of state for Kosovo Oliver Ivanovic said the monstruous crime was ethnically-motivated.
"The international community has to understand that there will be no peace or stability if the Serbs continue to be a legitimate target for obtaining some political or material goals. If an Albanian may kill a Serb without any retribution, I believe that this society will not taking the right direction," underscored Ivanovic.
