No reconciliation without condemnation of crimes

“Serbia has not and will not recognize the so-called independence of Kosovo. Anything that was built on injustice cannot rule in line with the law,” reads the release issued on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the unlawful declaration of Kosovo's independence. The release notes that 1, 015 attacks on Serbs have been recorded since February 17, 2008, when irrespective of the will of the UN Security Council and regardless of the complete opposition of Serbs in Kosovo, the so-called independence was declared. In that period, fire arms were used against Serbs 51 times, explosive devices were set up 11 times, hand grenades and Molotov cocktails hurled 15 times, religious monuments attacked 25 times, 201 Orthodox graveyards desecrated, 197 gravestones demolished, cultural and historical facilities were attacked 10 times, 135 Serb houses were stoned, Serb assets were set ablaze 48 times. Moreover, 106 Serb houses were robbed, 13 forests (owned by Serbs) were set on fire, the Monastery of Visoki Decani was attacked, despite the fact that it is under UNESCO protection, the release adds, noting that no one knows the exact number of stolen cattle, cars, agricultural machines. “A hand grenade was thrown at a three-year old boy and nine-year old girl on February 4, four Serbs were killed, 254 Serbs sustained light or severe injuries. On average, 203 attacks against the Serb population were carried out on an annual level, one in every two days,” the Office underscores. In the so-called independent Kosovo, there are no European standards for Serbs, privatization has been carried out, and is being carried out for Albanians only, while 40,000 Serb requests for the return of assets and damage compensation are yet to be responded to, the release adds. The Office concludes that what has been established in the so-called independent Kosovo is not a state, but rather apartheid, in which for a total of 1,004 Serb victims, only two perpetrators were convicted.