Kosovo Assembly members adopted some time ago a law on taxation, stipulating owners of usurped properties in Kosovo will not pay taxes until they are able to use their properties again, Serbian national broadcaster RTS reported.

Displaced Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija are facing property issues for many years. While some of them managed to get repossession of their properties with the help of Free Legal Aid, several thousand of property cases are still open. RTS featured some of them.

Radojica Marusic used to live in a family house in Klina town. Following expulsion from Kosovo, his house was demolished. Instead of reconstruction of his house, an unpleasant surprise awaited him – a huge residential building in his yard, and house nowhere.

“Right there was my house. I hope I would get compensation for all the damages I have suffered, with the help of legal aid,” Marusic said.

Blagoje Dabizljevic from village of Drsnik, in Klina municipality for more than 10 years is trying to prove the ownership over the house, taken away in an illegal manner.

“I have heard about it, and in 2006 I came here and found fraudulent contract, then I launched a complaint against Liman Malloku,” Dabizljevic said.

“We have a court verdict in this case, going in favor of our client. Despite this binding decision, the usurper did not release the house that is why we filed for criminal proceeding,” Miljana Cetkovic from Free Legal Aid told RTS.

All properties belonging to family Danilovic from Decane were taken away. Flat in Decane town, land plot and old family house in Locane village that was under state protection as a cultural heritage. Now, they can’t even visit their family house.

“I cannot access my property, I do not know how to access my property, and it is not safe to go there. I own this old house, a chalet, which is old for centuries,” Ilija Danilovic said. Since 1999, Danilovic family lives in Montenegro, but they are determined not to give up on their properties.

There are 453 cases opened in the municipalities of Klina, Pec, Istok and Decani, led by Free Legal Aid professionals. The assessment is there would be more. Serbs in Metohija own up to 20 hectares of land, RTS concluded.