Ljubenić massacres
Encyclopedia
The Ljubenić massacres were a series of killings committed by Serbia
n police
and paramilitary
forces on Kosovo Albanians in the in the village of Ljubenić (alb. Lybeniq) near Peć
, during the Kosovo War
1998-1999.
On 25 May 1998 at least eight villagers of Ljubenic, mostly Hamzaj family
members, were extrajudicially executed by the Serbian police.
On 1 April 1999 Ljubenic was the site of a mass killing of about 66 men.
and Peć
near the village
of Ljubenic in which a civilian car was shot at by armed men, supposedly Kosovo Liberation Army
(KLA) members. Three men travelling in the car were hit by the bullets, including the driver, a police officer and a reserve police officer, who was apparently off-duty.
That afternoon, sometime after 1pm, a large police forces with various vehicles, some of which were armoured, arrived at Ljubenic. The Serbian police positioned themselves on the outskirts and started to fire at the Albanian part of the village using artillery
and other weapon
s, before entering the village itself.
Most of the villager
s had fled to the nearby forest
. Those who could not flee sheltered in the houses as best they could. After a short while, police patrols conducted house to house searches. In one large house a group of about 14 people was sheltering. The police officers forced them into the yard and then separated the men from the women and children. The women and children were forced to run away after being threatened. The police then started to beat the men, who were unarmed, and then ordered them to run and shot them while they were running. Altogether four men were killed this way: Ibrahim Hamzaj (64), Imer Hamzaj (53), Dervish Hamzaj (51) and Bashkim Hamzaj (23).
The police had also entered the house of Zeqë Hamzaj (aged 68 years). They took him and his sons, Gani Hamzaj (25) and Rifat Hamzaj (24) out of the building, made them strip to their underwear, beat them and killed them. Another man, Haxhi Goga (22) from the town of Decani, who was a guest of one family, was also extrajudicially killed.
Some of the men survived under the corpses and crawled out after the Serbs had gone. The other villagers, mostly women and children were forced to left the village and walked to the Albania
n border via Djakovica. The houses in the village of Ljubenić have had been torched.
An Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) team documented the traces of the killings on 1 July and conducted several interviews with survivors. Reportedly, about 66 Kosovo Albanians were killed.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
and paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
forces on Kosovo Albanians in the in the village of Ljubenić (alb. Lybeniq) near 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....
, during the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
1998-1999.
On 25 May 1998 at least eight villagers of Ljubenic, mostly Hamzaj family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
members, were extrajudicially executed by the Serbian police.
On 1 April 1999 Ljubenic was the site of a mass killing of about 66 men.
First massacre
At around 6:45am on 25 May 1998 there was an incident on the road between DečaniDecani
Decani is the side of a church choir occupied by the Dean. In English churches this is typically the choir stalls on the south side of the chancel, although there are some notable exceptions, such as Durham Cathedral and Southwell Minster...
and 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....
near the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Ljubenic in which a civilian car was shot at by armed men, supposedly Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
(KLA) members. Three men travelling in the car were hit by the bullets, including the driver, a police officer and a reserve police officer, who was apparently off-duty.
That afternoon, sometime after 1pm, a large police forces with various vehicles, some of which were armoured, arrived at Ljubenic. The Serbian police positioned themselves on the outskirts and started to fire at the Albanian part of the village using artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and other weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s, before entering the village itself.
Most of the villager
Villager
The Villager, formerly the Highland Villager, is the oldest community newspaper in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, USA.It was founded in 1953 as Highland Villager....
s had fled to the nearby forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. Those who could not flee sheltered in the houses as best they could. After a short while, police patrols conducted house to house searches. In one large house a group of about 14 people was sheltering. The police officers forced them into the yard and then separated the men from the women and children. The women and children were forced to run away after being threatened. The police then started to beat the men, who were unarmed, and then ordered them to run and shot them while they were running. Altogether four men were killed this way: Ibrahim Hamzaj (64), Imer Hamzaj (53), Dervish Hamzaj (51) and Bashkim Hamzaj (23).
The police had also entered the house of Zeqë Hamzaj (aged 68 years). They took him and his sons, Gani Hamzaj (25) and Rifat Hamzaj (24) out of the building, made them strip to their underwear, beat them and killed them. Another man, Haxhi Goga (22) from the town of Decani, who was a guest of one family, was also extrajudicially killed.
Second massacre
On 1 April 1999 Serbian police and paramilitaries entered Ljubenic. Many villagers tried to flee to the mountains but soon realized that they were surrounded. The villagers were gathered in the centre of the Ljubenic, men and women were separated, and a large group of men were stood up against a wall on the main street through the village. After a series of insults, all the men were ordered to lie down, and the Serbian forces began shooting. After they gunned male villagers with machine-gun fire, they shot in the head those who were still moving.Some of the men survived under the corpses and crawled out after the Serbs had gone. The other villagers, mostly women and children were forced to left the village and walked to the Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n border via Djakovica. The houses in the village of Ljubenić have had been torched.
An Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
(OSCE) team documented the traces of the killings on 1 July and conducted several interviews with survivors. Reportedly, about 66 Kosovo Albanians were killed.
See also
- Kosovo WarKosovo WarThe term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
- War crimes in the Kosovo WarWar crimes in the Kosovo WarThe War crimes in the Kosovo War were a series of war crimes committed during the Kosovo War . Yugoslav security forces invaded Kosovo and killed many Albanian civilians; there were also attacks on on Yugoslav security forces and moderate Albanians by the Kosovo Liberation Army...
- List of massacres in the Kosovo War