Congressional Record -- Extension of Remarks
Thursday, October 20, 1988
100th Cong. 2nd Sess.
134 Cong Rec E 3561
REFERENCE: Vol. 134 No. 150
TITLE: THE SERBS IN KOSOVO
SPEAKER: HON. HELEN DELICH BENTLEY OF MARYLAND IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TEXT:
Text that appears in UPPER CASE identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken
by a Member of the House on the floor.
[*E3561] MRS. BENTLEY. MR. SPEAKER, THE ATTENTION OF THE WORLD HAS BEEN FOCUSED UPON
YUGOSLAVIA IN RECENT WEEKS. THAT TROUBLED NATION HAS SEEN ITS ETHNIC POPULATIONS VYING TO
THE POINT OF OPEN VIOLENCE FOR DOMINANCE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS. ONE OF THESE AREAS IS
KOSOVO, ABOUT WHICH I HAVE PREVIOUSLY ADDRESSED THIS HOUSE.
I HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE EPISCOPAL VICAR FOR THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX DIOCESE FOR
WESTERN EUROPE, ARCHPRIEST NICOLICH, DATED SEPTEMBER 29, 1988. IT SETS THE CURRENT
PROBLEMS IN THEIR PROPER CONTEXT AND IS DESERVING OF CLOSE ATTENTION AND SCRUTINY. FOR
THAT REASON, I INSERT THAT LETTER WITH ITS ATTACHMENTS IN THE RECORD AT THIS POINT:
SEPTEMBER 29, 1988.
DEAR MADAM, IN THE WESTERN COUNTRIES, THE PROBLEMS FACING THE SERBS OF KOSOVO HAVE NOT
BEEN TREATED WITH SUFFICIENT UNDERSTANDING. IN THE PRESS-REPORTS DEALING WITH ETHNIC
UNREST IN THAT PROVINCE, IT IS USUALLY STATED THAT THE SERBS ALLEGE PRESSURE BY THE
ALBANIANS. MOREOVER, SERBIAN "ALLEGATIONS" ARE OFTEN PRESENTED AS
"EXAGGERATED", SINCE FOREIGN JOURNALISTS NEVER HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS
PERSONALLY AN ACT OF ALBANIAN TERROR OVER A SERB OR OVER A GROUP OF SERBS. THE EXODUS OF
SERBS FROM THE PROVINCE IS THUS EXPLAINED BY THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE ECONOMIC SITUATION AND
BY HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT IN THAT PART OF YUGOSLAVIA.
I AM TAKING THE LIBERTY OF SENDING YOU A COPY OF THE DECLARATION SIGNED BY FIVE BISHOPS OF
THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE DIASPORA. ITS AIM IS TO BRING TO THE ATTENTION OF THE
PUBLIC IN THE WESTERN WORLD THE PLIGHT OF THE SERBS IN KOSOVO AND TO ASK THE PUBLIC TO
UNDERSTAND THAT THE SERBS HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO CRIMINAL SUPPRESSION AMOUNTING TO
GENOCIDE. THE EXAMPLES QUOTED BY THE BISHOPS SHOULD SHOW THAT THE EVENTS IN KOSOVO ARE NOT
SIMPLY THE RESULT OF A DEMOGRAPHIC PROCESS, SOMEWHAT ACERBATED BY THE DIFFICULT ECONOMIC
SITUATION, AS THE MAJORITY OF THE PRESS WOULD HAVE IT. THE EXODUS OF THE SERBS FROM KOSOVO
IS A HUMAN TRAGEDY WHOSE UGLY BACKGROUND HAS BEEN TOO OFTEN MISREPRESENTED. IT IS HOPED
THAT THE PUBLIC WILL LOOK MORE CLOSELY INTO THIS PROBLEM AND THEN REALIZE THAT THE SERBS
FROM KOSOVO DESERVE SYMPATHY AND SUPPORT.
IT IS WRONG TO ASSUME, AS IT IS GENERALLY DONE, THAT THE PROBLEM OF KOSOVO STARTED AS LATE
AS 1981. A CONSIDERATION OF THE FOLLOWING FACTS MAY ASSIST IN FORMING A CORRECT OPINION ON
THE ORIGIN OF THE PRESENT TURMOIL.
IN 1941 FASCIST ITALY AND NAZI GERMANY FORMED A "GREATER ALBANIA" BY ANNEXING
THE YUGOSLAV REGIONS OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA TO THE STATE OF ALBANIA. THIS WAS COMPLETELY
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE POLICY OF THE FORMER AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN WHICH, AT THE TIME OF THE
COLLAPSE OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, HAD DONE ITS UTMOST TO EXPAND TOWARDS THE SOUTH-EAST OF
EUROPE. AS IS WELL KNOWN, IN THE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY THE SERBIAN STATE HAD BEEN A
SERIOUS OBSTACLE TO THAT AMBITION. AS STATED IN THE ENCLOSED BISHOPS' DECLARATION, BETWEEN
1941-1945, DURING THE EXISTENCE OF THE "GREATER ALBANIA", 60,000 ALBANIANS WERE
SETTLED IN KOSOVO AND OVER 100,000 SERBS WERE EXPELLED. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT
THE PROCESS OF ALBANISATION WAS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR. IT SEEMS
THAT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD, THE YUGOSLAV REGIME EXPECTED THAT
ALBANIA WOULD EVENTUALLY JOIN YUGOSLAVIA. IN ANY CASE, THE AUTHORITIES OF THE
SELF-GOVERNING AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE OF KOSOVO NOT ONLY DID NOT PREVENT, BUT EVEN ENCOURAGED
FURTHER INFLUX OF ALBANIANS INTO KOSOVO. THE RESULT WAS THAT IN THE LAST FOUR DECADES
250,000 ALBANIANS MOVED INTO THE PROVINCE WHILE 200,000 SERBS AND OTHER NON-ALBANIANS WERE
FORCED TO LEAVE.
It should be born in mind that the Albanians in Kosovo cooperated fully with Mussolini and
Hitler. They provided a full-fledged SS Division, the 23rd "Skander-beg", to
help the Nazi war effort. In contrast to the post-war situation in Germany and in other
countries where the Nazis and their collaborators were fully exposed, this simply did not
happen in Kosovo. While elsewhere in the world the young generations were informed about
the crimes committed, in Kosovo no steps had been taken to expose the collaborators and to
call them to justice. It should not be surprising therefore that the racist demand for an
ethnically pure Kosovo remained very much alive among the Albanian inhabitants of the
region. It led to countless acts against humanity as the text of the Bishops' Declaration
illustrates. To make situation even more complex and indeed absurd, while the perpetrators
of crimes against non-Albanians in Kosovo remain unpunished, in contrast, many young
Albanians are imprisoned following some of their alleged "anti-state
activities". The Amnesty International is very active in defending Kosovo Albanians
imprisoned for "political" reasons. However, it seems that because the attacks
on Serbs and on other non-Albanians are carried out by Albanian individuals and presumably
not by officials under a direct instruction by the authorities, these crimes are outside
the Amnesty's interests. Yet the fact that Kosovo autonomous authorities take no steps to
protect their non-Albanian citizens and unofficially condone and encourage their
persecution, is ignored.
It should be remembered that the Yugoslav Constitution gives full autonomy to the Serbian
regions of Kosovo (incorporating Metohija) and Vojvodina. The Serbian government cannot
interfere in their provincial Parliments, while both Kosovo and Vojvodina can block
decisions in the Parliament of Serbia in which they are fully represented.
The fact that the federal police and army have been brought into Kosovo during this year
has not yet made any significant difference. Attacks on non-Albanians and on their
property as well as on their clergy and church property continue.
It must be stressed that is not impossible for Albanians and non-Albanians in Yugoslavia
to live peacefully together. Many Albanians live and work in other parts of Yugoslavia,
particuarly in Serbia. On Sunday 25th September 1988 the BBC news-bulletin included a
report from Kosovo. A young Albanian from Kosovo was asked whether he had any Serbian
friends. He answered that he had had Serbian friends while he was serving in the Army, but
not in Kosovo.
When dealing with the question of the future of Kosovo, some elementary principles
governing human relations must be taken into account; they are the right of any person to
be allowed to live in peace on his or her land, to be let to maintain freely the traits of
his or her national identity and to practise without fear his or her religion, including
the respect for the dead. Kosovo is the cradle of Serbain Christain culture, the cradle of
the Serbain nation. Innumerable historic monuments, whether still standing or in ruins,
speak of it.
The injustice which is being done to the Serbs of Kosovo should shock the whole civilized
world and urge its indignation.
Yours truly,
Archpriest M. Nikolich,
Episcopal Vicar.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[From the London Times, Oct. 1, 1988]
YUGOSLAV UNITY
(From Mr. Aleksa Gavrilovic)
Sir, A major disturbance in Yugoslavia would have a destabilising effect in that [*E3562]
part of Europe. Your leading article (September 13) visualises some Western influence in
connection with economic aid, but the weakness of the federal government gives cause for
concern.
Dr. N. Grisogono expressed the hope (September 19) that the proposals made in March, 1988,
by Serbian intellectuals for abolition of the one-party system offer hope for the future.
However, the democratisation of the country in the present situation would not easily lead
to a united and strong Yugoslavia.
The first Yugoslavia started in 1918 as a centralised state, but in 1939 Croats negotiated
a considerable measure of autonomy. Serbo-Croat relations worsened during the war due to
the atrocities of Croat Ustasi. One of the reasons for Western powers supporting Tito was
the belief that he would resolve ethnic and religious differences. Today's reality is that
such disagreements are more numerous than ever before, the problem of Kosovo being the
most acute. Had the consequences of the creation of Great Albania by Italy and Germany in
1941-45 been tackled on time, the Kosovo problem would have been solved, or at least
contained.
The second Yugoslavia has developed into a confederation of almost independent states
which are being led away from each other. Dessa Trevisan pointed out (report, September
12) that according to the last census in 1981 there were only 1.2 million Yugoslavs out of
a population of 22.4 million.
However, until recently the Yugoslav nationality was not even officially recognised. The
Constitution, which lays emphasis on separate nationalities, is having a greater effect
than the much-quoted. Partisan slogan, "fraternity and unity".
At present there are no signs of meaningful discussions which could lead to a pro-Yugoslav
atmosphere. The Western powers' support of Tito influenced many Yugoslavs to join him. The
West still can influence Yugoslavs. Many of them listened to Western broadcasts,
particularly to the BBC. A firm British attitude in favour of a united Yugoslavia could
prove effective. Serbs are aware that other republics dislike the fact that the federal
capital is in Belgrade. Serb intellectuals gathered mainly around the Association of
Serbian Writers and Philosophical and Sociological Societies of Serbia and acting as an
(unofficial) opposition, have suggested that parts of the federal administration could be
moved out of Belgrade. The West could offer to finance the creation of a new federal
capital in any area outside the jurisdiction of any republic, away from any large town and
religious centre.
A third, democratic Yugoslavia which would be acceptable to all should be the aim of the
present generation. Difficulties are enormous and the people need sympathetic help to come
out of the impasse.
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DECLARATION OF THE BISHOPS OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AGAINST THE GENOCIDE
INFLICTED BY THE ALBANIANS ON THE INDIGENOUS SERBIAN POPULATION, TOGETHER WITH THE
SACRILEGE OF THEIR CULTURAL MONUMENTS IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY
In Yugoslavia, ever since the end of the Second World War and up to the present day,
persecution of the Serbian population and of their religion continues in Kosovo and
Methoija, regions of their ten centuries' old homeland. This persecution is being
administered by the Albanians, who, after the Second World War, were given Home Rule as an
ethnic minority by some of the highest policy-makers in Yugoslavia. In this way, the
pre-conditions for the furtherance of the persecution of the Serbian population, and of
the Serbian Orthodox Church, were created.
During the war, the Albanians were the allies of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. They
committed untold atrocities against the Serbian population. Mussolini, in the framework of
his plan to create a "Great Albania", transferred 60,000 people from Albania
into the regions of Kosovo and Methohija while expelling at the same time more than
100,000 Serbs from that territory.
After the war, the highest authorities in Yugoslavia did nothing to correct that
injustice. Moreover, the process of migration of Albanians from Albania into Yugoslavia,
into the regions of Kosovo and Metohija, continued. Thus, during the last four decades,
260,000 such immigrants arrived and in order to make room for them, the Albanians drove
out, by various terrorist methods, more than 200,000 Serbs.
Here are some facts about this situation:
Today there are 700 villages and towns where not one Serb remains, and yet these places
were formerly populated exclusively by Serbs. In the areas which were populated by mixed
nationalities, Albanians and Serbs, only 10 percent of the Serbs are still there, but the
persecution continues.
Contrary to the foregoing facts, however, the western world is given false information and
outright lies are told about alleged persecutions of Albanians by Serbs.
It is impossible to list all the crimes against the Serbian population committed by the
Albanians through the centuries. Many books have been written about the atrocities
practised during the occupation of the Serbian territories by the Ottoman Empire. Under
the pressure of the Albanians, who adopted Islam, a considerable number of Serbs were
driven out from Kosovo and Methohija in two great migrations during the 17th and 18th
centuries. It was at that point in history that the Albanians appeared, for the first time
in greater numbers, on those territories. The same process was repeated during the First
and Second World Wars as well as in the following period when even without a war we have
been witnessing a renewed exodus of the Serbian people from their homeland.
We are aware that we cannot enumerate all acts of terrorism of the Albanians against the
Serbain people in Kosovo and Metohija. Only the Almighty God knows the sum-total of the
suffering inflicted upon them. We are only quoting a number of examples of different forms
of pressure which have been used to force out the Serbs, to destroy their culture and to
desecrate their sacred monuments on their territory.
In 1974 the Albanians expelled the brothers Vojin and Velimir Soskic, together with 17
members of their family, from the village of Papracani near Decani; having beaten them up
at the well, they forced them to leave with threats and violence. Velimir Soskic now lives
in Montenegro while Vojin Soskic settled in the village of Vrncani near Gorni Milanovac
(Serbia).
In 1971 Ljubomir Vucinic was forced out of the village of Ljubovac near Srbica in Kosovo.
Another 80 Serbian families were driven out and only six families remained there. They
were all forced out by threats, barrages of stone-throwing and the firing of guns around
their houses at night.
In the same way, the whole village population was forced to leave the village of Gornja
Prekaza near Srbica. The most respected Serb, Aleksandar Milosevic, was the last to leave
the village with his large family. He is now employed as a labourer in Belgrade. While the
Serbs, were still there, the Albanians destroyed the Christian Orthodox cemetery. It is
known that in that village since 1960, the Albanians from neighbouring villages were
practising the kind of lawlessness reminiscent of the Turkish Rule: under threat the Serbs
were obliged to surrender to them a quarter of the yield from their fields. Milan
Scepanovic from the village of Dasinovic near Decani refused to abandon his land. On the
18th July 1971 his neighbour, an Albanian, shot Milan in the head. The wound caused Milan
to lose an eye and an ear but the assailant was never punished. Milan Scepanovic had to
leave his home even though he was a war veteran who had been decorated for his bravery. He
is now living in the village of Jelenac, near Topola (Serbia).
When left without any males in her family Stanica Pesic of Donje Ratiste near Decani had
her house and 12 acres of land appropriated by her Albanian neighbour. At the end of three
years of long court proceedings, the court's decision was most baffling: Stanica Pesic was
to receive 150.000 Dinars from the village council and the Albanian neighbour was to keep
the house and the land in his possession. That sum was just sufficient for Stanica to buy
the train tickets for herself and her four daughters.
On the land of the brothers Djurisic, near Decani, several Albanian houses were built
without the consent of the owners. Following that, the Djurisic brothers were expelled
from the remaining land.
The village authorities cut down three times the orchards of Mirko and Mirka Stefanovic in
the centre of Decani under the pretext that it was necessary for the planning of the
motorway. Three more houses of their neighbours, also Serbs, were knocked down.
On the 28th of October 1982, a 12-year-old boy, Dejan Antunovic was set upon by some
Albanians who grabbed him in the street at mid-day, doused him with petrol and set him
alight. His anorak helped to save his life but he received severe burns.
There is a long list of evil deeds, torments and crimes to which the nuns from the Serbian
monasteries in Kosovo are being subjected. In 1981, in the monastery of the Holy Trinity
in Musutiste the Albanians blinded a bull belonging to the monastery. They rammed a rake
into the stomach of a cow which was in calf and killed her. The same year they drove nails
into the testicles of the rams belonging to the monastery; they also cut down the
monastery's forest. The Albanians of the village Grazdel waited in ambush for the nuns to
beat them up. The nuns dared not go about freely with their work on their land. The
Albanians forcibly removed building material from the yard of the monastery. Nuns Vera and
Angelina were viciously beaten. Albanian youths beat up nun Stanka and attacked and
attempted to rape nun Heruvima, aged 50.
In the same monastery, in 1982, a Roman Catholic nun from Croatia came to stay with the
nuns as their guest. She wanted to see the ancient altar screen and some ancient holy
books preserved in the convent. One day, while returning to the monastery from a visit to
two of her acquaintances, also Catholic nuns, she was stopped by three young Albanians who
raped her, beat her up and robbed her. She obtained a medical certificate from a Ugandan
doctor, Dr. Sirijaza, who was practising there. However, no action was taken against the
thugs who were from the village of Rakovac. The police chief inspector there declared
that, in his opinion "the rape of a nun is not a rape at all". He merely took
the gold chain and [*E3563] cross which the thugs had taken from the nun and returned them
to her.
In the ancient city of Prizren, renowned for its numerous churches and remains of a long
and brilliant Christian tradition, Milorad Sredic, student of the Prizren College of
Theology, was stabbed twice by some Albanians who wanted to stop him from entering the
College. Another Serbain student was beaten up while walking with other students through
the town. Bishop Pavle of Raska-Prizren was three times attacked and beaten in the street.
In 1982, the Albanians set fire to the building of the Patriarchate in PEC. The old living
quarters were burnt down and part of the old library and treasury room also suffered. The
authorities failed (refused) to send the fire-brigade. For eight hours the nuns had to
fight on their own, not only the fire but also the arsonists themselves.
It is not possible to enumerate all the sufferings inflicted upon Paraskeva, the Abbess of
the monastery of Devic. Mother Paraskeva has only one arm; the Albanians broke that arm so
she can no longer make the sign of the cross. They are continuously ravaging the monastic
estate, threatening the nuns on killing their cattle.
On the 3rd June 1982, in the village of Samodreza near Vucitrn, an Albanian killed Danilo
Milincic, aged 22. Three Albanian youths drove his cattle away, knocked Danilo down and
spread him on the ground. Then their father Mujo Ferat, who had moved in from Albania only
in 1972, knelt on Danilo's stomach and shot him through the heart. Danica, Danilo's
mother, tried in vain to shield her son with her own body. On the same spot, ten years
earlier, the Albanians had killed Danilo's father, Slavoljub and twenty years before,
exactly in the same spot they killed Danilo's grandfather, also called Danilo.
The church of Samodreza was desecrated many times. It is a well-known Serbian shrine:
according to tradition, it was to that church that Prince Lazar brought the Serbian army
to Holy Communion on the eve of the battle against the Turks in Kosovo in 1389; it was
there that after the battle, the body of the hero-warrior Milos Obilic was laid to rest.
The priest from Vucitrn cannot attend the church in Samodreza not even in the daytime.
Until 15 years ago 200 Serbian families lived in this area and much greater numbers lived
their in the past. Nowadays there remain only six of them and these are all households of
elderly people. As recently as August 1988 the frescoes of the church in Samodreza were
damaged by the Albanians. Graves were dug out and bones scattered around the church yard.
Countless cemeteries in Serbian villages and towns in Kosovo and Metohija are being
continuously demolished.
At the end of July 1982 in the village of Mece near Djakovica, Miodrag Saric was killed in
his own back yard at the thirtieth attempt on his life. He left a widow and four children
who could bear witness to the crimes against their family committed by the Albanians and
most of all by the local Chief of Police, Djerdjo Bibljekaj and his Deputy, Causi. The
Albanians appropriated Saric's land of 17 acres, poisoned the well in the yard and even
the dog that guarded the well. They killed their last horse with a chain. Two months after
the murder of Miodrag Saric, the Albanians shot his eldest son, Aleksander. The younger
son, Mitar aged 14, was struck on the head by a stone thrown by a Albanian in the middle
of the street in Djakovica, causing grievious bodily harm. The Saric family now lives with
the assistance of the Church and people of good-will who collect for them. They are the
last remaining Serbian family in that part of the country. They have nowhere else to go.
At the University of Pristina, in 1971, Serbian students were beaten up during an
escalation of the Albanian nationalism; a recurrence of the incident took place on the 2nd
April 1981.
Alabanians burned down the forest adjacent to the house belonging to Dusan Bijelic from
the village of Gornji Ratis. He was set upon at home when Albanians broke down the doors
and smashed in the windows and took away the chickens the bee-hives and all the money that
was in the house.
Milan Vlahovic and Batric Perovic, from the village of Pozar, fared in the same way; their
children were beaten up inside the house and the haystacks were set on fire.
Hundreds more examples could be given. Bratimir Toskovic of Pristina had a "Molotov
Cocktail" twice thrown in over his balcony and through the window of his home.
In the village of Dolac, near Klina, the Babic brothers were first stabbed with knives,
then, as they were returning from the fields, some Albanians ambushed them. First they dug
a spade into Bogosav Babic's ribs and split open his skull with an ax; his brother,
Bozidar, was killed on the spot and the third brother Bogoljub, although wounded, managed
to escape into the village.
Seventy wounds were counted on his body. Despite the injuries which Bogosav sustained, he
survived. Sometime later Bogolujb too was killed. The Babic brothers have been the
prize-winner in agriculture in Kosovo so the Albanians hacked down their vine-yards and
orchards, destroying them completely. The one remaining brother Bogosav Babic is still
being subjected to attacks and his house was raided by Albanian militia-men as well.
A 15-year-old girl from the Rajic family was raped, according to the testimony of Bogosav
Babic. In Dolac and its neighbourhood alone, 15 Serbian girls were raped by Albanians in
the course of 8 months.
In a nearby village, in broad daylight, from their open gate, Albanians shot Milan
Petrovic, a high-school pupil as he was returning from school. He was wounded in the hip,
but as the bullet was of the "Dum-Dum" type, Milan remained permanently crippled
in both legs. In Klina, a 70-year-old woman was raped. The press did not reveal her name
in order to protect the family's honour.
On the 1st May 1985 Djordje Martinovic, aged 50, was impaled in his own field, just
outside the village of Gnjilane. The Albanains first stunned him drove a wedge through his
anus and then pushed a beer bottle up through the colon to the stomach and rib-cage. This
is reminiscent of the punishment meted out to the Serbs by the Turks in earlier times.
Djordje Martinovic survived but the attackers have not been brought to justice.
The daughter of Milosav Lazic of Batusa village near Pristina, was raped. This 14-year-old
girl was dragged away in broad daylight by Albanians in front of the school in Donje
Dobrevo village.
The 7-year-old daughter of M. Rancic, originally from the Batusa village, was raped. The
family was living in great poverty in Pristina, next to the hospital, in a toolshed which
was left there after completion of the building. The girl described her most frightful
ordeal on television but the public soon forgot about it under the onslaught of new
assaults and rapes which followed within the next days.
In the village of Palez, near Vitina, 14 Serbian girls from 11 Serbian families were raped
by Albanians in one year.
In PEC, in 1983, Albanians set fire to the studio of the artist Radoslav Miketic.
At the end of June 1986, the whole Serbian village of Batusa fled from the village to seek
refuge in front of the unabated terror. Batusa had been a Serbian village for centuries.
Among the refugees were children, old people and the dying. Serbian families from other
villages joined them. Their attempt to save their lives was thwarted by the local Militia
who pillaged the belongings which the refugees were carrying, and beat them up. The
refugees were told that they could move away, but only one by one. They were not allowed
to leave in groups as that would have constituted a political provocation.
The persecution of our people and our church continues. In August 1988 Mother Tatiana, the
Abbess of the 14th century monastery of Gracanica was twice attacked and assaulted.
We must emphasise that the Serbian and other non-Albanian population in the Kosovo and
Metohija regions are not protected by law. Albanians committing crimes against them have
not been prosecuted nor punished. We, Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, will condem
any misdeeds by the Serbs against the Albanians, should they happen. At the same time we
do appeal to the civilised world to show more understanding for the real suffering of our
people and to show concern for their endangered church and tradition in Kosovo and
Metohija.
Serbian Orthodox Bishops:
Dr. Firmilijan: Diocese of Midwestern America.
Lavrentije: Diocese of Western Europe.
Hristofor: Diocese of Eastern America.
Georgije: Diocese of Canada.
Longin: Diocese of Australia and New Zealand.
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