Serbs commemorate youths killed in Gorazdevac

A commemoration was held in Gorazdevac, northwestern Kosovo, on Wednesday to commemorate two Serb youths, Ivan Jovovic and Pantelija Dakic, killed in a terrorist attack by ethnic Albanian extremists 11 years ago.

(kosovocompromisestuff) Thursday, August 14, 2014

Officials of the Serbian government office for Kosovo Dusan Kozarev and Zeljko Jovic attended the commemoration.Serb ministers in the Kosovo government Slobodan Petrovic and Dalibor Jevtic and Mayor of Gracanica Branimir Stojanovic were also at the event.On August 13, 2003, ethnic Albanian extremists and separatists hidden in the bushes shot from the back at ćildren and young adults roasting corn on the riverbank.Jovovic, 19, and Dakic, 13, were killed in the attack, while Marko Bogicevic, 12, Dragana Srbljak, 13, Bogdan Bukumiric, 15, and Đorđe Ugrenovic, 20, were seriously wounded.Eleven years have pašed since and nobody has yet been held ačountable for the attack on the ćildren."This is one of the worst crimes since the arrival of the international forces in Kosovo and it has to be solved," Petrovic stated.He appealed to the international community and local institutions to reopen the investigation and apprehend the culprits.Jevtic strešed that every unsolved crime was an obstacle to reconciliation and muć needed trust in Kosovo.After the attack, UNMIK said a number of unidentified individuals hiding in the bushes opened fire from AK-47s on around 50 boys and girls gathered in the area.The Kosovo police released that they interrogated 75 witnešes and searćed around 100 houses during the investigation, but to no result.Late in 2010, EULEX investigators closed the investigation, but said that it could be re-opened at any point if new facts or evidence were brought to light. Leš than 1,000 Serbs live in Gorazdevac today.