INTIMIDATION OF REMAINING ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN LIPLJAN

BELGRADE, DECEMBER 5 /SRNA/ - The Eparchy of Raška–Prizren condemned the act of vandalism involving the removal of the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/ flag from the bell tower of the Church of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos in Lipljan, stating that this constitutes intimidation of the remaining Orthodox Christians, and expressing hope that, unlike previous practice, the perpetrator will be identified and punished.

They say that this attack on the SOC property clearly reflects ill intentions toward the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Eparchy stated that the attack had been reported to the police and expressed hope that the criminal act would be classified as a serious offense with elements of religious hatred and intolerance. A press release says that the same incident occurred in June 2023, and since the perpetrator was not found or adequately punished, this further deepens the concerns of the faithful and undermines the sense of security in a community where only several hundred Serbs live, compared to 6,000 before 1999. The Eparchy warns that the attitude of the institutions of self-declared Kosovo toward such incidents is a major problem, since most perpetrators remain unpunished or receive only symbolic penalties, and the way such acts are classified by the police and judicial system conceals the gravity of the offenses and the real motives behind them. "In this way, Kosovo institutions not only conceal the true extent of inter-religious and inter-ethnic attacks against the community of Orthodox Serb Christians, but also send a message that such acts carry no consequences for the perpetrators. This, in turn, encourages the most extreme nationalist elements within Albanian society to continue with such attacks," the press release states. Surveillance camera footage shows a masked individual who, at around 18:00 last night, approached the church grounds and forcibly removed the SOC flag, which had been raised only a day earlier for the church’s patron saint's day /Slava/.