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11 years have passed after children were murdered in Gorazdevac (Politika)

It will be 11 years tomorrow after two Serb children were murdered and four were wounded in Gorazdeavac in Kosovo and Metohija, hence no one is held responsible yet for the crime.

Despite the reward amounting to a million euros and a promise of UNMIK officials that, as they said, every stone will be turned upside-down in order to find perpetrators, no one has been held responsible yet for the crime against the innocent children.

EULEX said that, although they closed the case due to a lack of evidence, there is a possibility to reopen the investigation if there would be new findings, and appealed on citizens to forward any information they have about the incident which took place back in 2003.

EULEX spokesperson Dragana Nikolic Solomon said to Tanjug that a prosecutor of the Kosovo’s special prosecutor’s office (KSPO) has closed the case since police investigation didn’t yield any results and has not brought to eventual suspects.

“Any official investigation which was closed could reopen at any moment if a prosecutor is acquainted with new information, which could eventually launch an investigation,” said Nikolic Solomon.

She pointed out that murder at Bistrica River, which took place on August 13, is a terrible crime against innocent victims. We appeal on citizens to contact prosecutors if they have any information in relation with this case, said Eulex spokesperson.

Ivan Jovovic and Pantelija Dakic were murdered 11 years ago while bathing in Bistrica River, whereas their friends Bogdan Bukumiric (14), Marko Bogicevic (12), Dragana Srbljak (13) and Djordje Ugrenovic (20) sustained heavy wounds.

Following the attack, UNMIK reported that unknown number of persons had opened a fire from ‘Kalashnikovs’ at about dozen young Serb children from Gorazdevac. Kosovo police interviewed 75 witnesses in the course of investigation and searched 100 houses without any concrete results.

Murder of the children was condemned by international officials, whereas the United Nations Security Council’s session was dedicated to this tragic event.

Murder on Bistrica River is considered to be one of four biggest crimes against Serbs after the deployment of the international mission in Kosovo in 1999. Perpetrators have remained unreachable to justice, like in case of murder of 14 harvesters in village Staro Gracko, murder of family Stolic in Obilic/Obiliq and killing of passengers of “Nis-Expres” bus near Podujevo/Podujevë.

Currently, there are less than a 1.000 Serbs left in Gorazdevac, living completely surrounded by Albanians.

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