Repeated Attacks Against the Orthodox Church in Kosovo

Country: Kosovo

Date of incident: December 31, 2006


Christian sites, ministres and believers have been targeted by various attacks in Kosovo during the year 2006. Here is a non-exhaustive list of these actions:

-  On March 5th, bullets were fired into a car occupied by a Serbian Orthodox priest and his wife and daughter near Staro Gracko/Starogracke in the Lipljan municipality. -  On March 15th, the windows of the Church in Varos/Varosh, near Urosevac/Ferizaj, were broken and tombstones at the local cemetery destroyed. -  On April 15th, icons at the Church of Saint Paraskeva were destroyed in Gojbulja/Gojbuljë, near Vucitrin/Vushtrri. -  On May 6th, on the road from Kosovska Mitrovica/Mitrovicë to Pristina/Prishtinë, a group of unidentified people opened fire on the car of a Serbian Orthodox priest and his family. -  On May 12th, the Church of Saint Iljija in Podujevo/Podujeve was broken into, and parts of the church that had been renovated after the March 2004 riots were damaged. -  The Church of the Birth of the Mother of God in Obilic/Obiliq was attacked on 19 June.

Source:

OSCE HATE CRIMES REPORT 2006

http://www.osce.org/odihr/26759