Goraždevac murders
Encyclopedia
the Goraždevac murders is the name of the shootings that occurred on August 13, 2003, when six ethnic Serb children were shot. The perpetrators are still unknown.
Goraždevac
is surrounded by Albanian settlements, making it a Serb enclave
, and thus under 24-hour protection from KFOR.
in August 2003, a large group of Serb children from the Serb enclave of Goraždevac, close to Peć
, gathered on the banks of the river Bistrica
. As the children played and swam in the river, shots were fired from the Albanian village of Zahač. 19-year old Igor Jovanović died instantly, while 13-year old Pantelija Dakić died in the hospital, 11-year old Marko Bogićević and 15-year old Bogdan Bukumirović were seriously injured, while Dragana Srbljak and Đorđe Ugrenović suffered from minor injuries.
Even though the crime was immediately condemned by the UNMIK, KFOR, Kosovo Albanian Officials, EU, Russia
, France
and the U.S., the perpetrators were not found. UNMIK Police Commissioner Stefan Feller promised at the time of the murders that he would turn "every stone to find the child killers."
The Government of Serbia
stated that this crime needed to be solved and that the murderers "must be brought to justice."
The UNMIK offered 1m dollar to whoever helps with the case. The fifth anniversary and memorial service
to the victims was held in the Holy Virgin Mary Church in Goraždevac.
Goraždevac
Goraždevac
Goraždevac is a village near the city of Peć in Kosovo. It has been inhabited since at least the thirteenth century, when it was mentioned in the chrysobull of Stefan Nemanja .The village possesses the oldest log-cabin church in Serbia, constructed at the end of the sixteenth century and...
is surrounded by Albanian settlements, making it a Serb enclave
Kosovo Serb enclaves
Kosovo Serb Enclaves are the areas of Kosovo where Serbs form a majority, except for North Kosovo. While North Kosovo is connected to the rest of Serbia and mostly functions as a part of it, the enclaves are surrounded with areas of Albanian majority....
, and thus under 24-hour protection from KFOR.
in August 2003, a large group of Serb children from the Serb enclave of Goraždevac, close to Peć
Pec
Peć or Pejë is a city and municipality in north-western Kosovo and Metohija - Serbia, and the administrative centre of the homonymous district. Governor of city is Ali Berisha....
, gathered on the banks of the river Bistrica
Bistrica
Bistrica is a frequent Slavic toponym. It can refer to the following settlements :-Bosnia and Herzegovina:* Bistrica , a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina...
. As the children played and swam in the river, shots were fired from the Albanian village of Zahač. 19-year old Igor Jovanović died instantly, while 13-year old Pantelija Dakić died in the hospital, 11-year old Marko Bogićević and 15-year old Bogdan Bukumirović were seriously injured, while Dragana Srbljak and Đorđe Ugrenović suffered from minor injuries.
Even though the crime was immediately condemned by the UNMIK, KFOR, Kosovo Albanian Officials, EU, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the U.S., the perpetrators were not found. UNMIK Police Commissioner Stefan Feller promised at the time of the murders that he would turn "every stone to find the child killers."
The Government of Serbia
Government of Serbia
Officially the Government of the Republic of Serbia is the executive branch of government in Serbia.-Current government:The current government was elected on 7 July 2008 by the majority vote in the National Assembly of Serbia and restructured on 14 March 2011...
stated that this crime needed to be solved and that the murderers "must be brought to justice."
The UNMIK offered 1m dollar to whoever helps with the case. The fifth anniversary and memorial service
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
to the victims was held in the Holy Virgin Mary Church in Goraždevac.