Families of wounded young men cannot forget last year's Christmas: The most important thing is that the children are well, tomorrow we will go again to cut the Serbian Christmas tree

It has been a year since the shooting of Stefan and Milos Stojanovic on Christmas Eve, January 6th, in Gotovusa, in the municipality of Strpce. The families of the wounded young men say it was their "bloody Christmas". While the KSF member Azem Kurtaj, who shot them, is at large, the Mayor of Strpce, Dalibor Jevtic, emphasizes that the Serbs are legally unprotected.

Fetching the Serbian Christmas tree is an important event for all Serbs, as a part of the customs preceding the most joyful Christian holiday, Christmas. Last year, for the residents of Gotovusa, Sirinicka Zupa, and especially the Stojanovic family from Gotovusa, it was, they say, the worst one yet.

Stefan and Milos Stojanovic were injured in Gotovusa when they were returning home from cutting the Serbian Christmas tree on January 6th. Azem Kurtaj shot them from a vehicle, injuring both young men. One was wounded in the hand, while the other suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

Zvonko Stojanovic, the father of the wounded Milos, emphasizes that even a year later, memories of that day are mixed. The most important thing, he says, is that the children are well and out of danger.

"As we see, time passes very quickly. It's been a year since the shooting of two children on Christmas Eve in Gotovusa, and one of them was my son. Although a year has passed, the feelings are still mixed; there are emotions of happiness, sadness, joy – everything is still there. Most importantly, the children are well and not in mortal danger. Regarding the atmosphere in which we welcome our most joyous holiday, Christmas, it's like every year. I hope that the guys, not only from Gotovusa but from the entire Sirinicka Zupa, will go again, bring the Serbian Christmas tree with joy, health, and singing, as they always did", Stojanovic said.

For Slavica Milenkovic, the grandmother of twelve-year-old Stefan, it was a bloody Christmas. She says she is grateful to God that her grandson survived.

"Christmas for me last year was a bloody Christmas; we didn't even perform the ritual properly. I hope that this year we will celebrate like all normal people, that there will be no more of that. It was a terrible day, and even today, I remember it that way. It was a blow for me as a grandmother. My grandson is well; he has a small scar on the shoulder near the heart. Considering what could have happened, it's good, thank God", Slavica emphasizes.

Even after a year, the residents of Strpce have fresh memories of the wounded and the fear that followed. They approach this Christmas with apprehension.

Veljko Miladinovic, speaking to Kosovo Online, describes the event as a tragedy for the Serbs expressing that locals feel fear of what might happen in the future.

"How can I express how we feel after this ongoing tragedy for the Serbs? I feel sorry for those children who were wounded, and thank God they survived. Regarding the municipality of Strpce and surrounding areas, the people have a special fear and stress due to all possible events that could escalate, considering that the Pristina Government refuses any negotiation with Serbs and the Serbian people. It will be very difficult", Miladinovic said.

Marica Pesic emphasizes that the residents, after this event, no longer know how to rejoice.

"It's as if it's not Christmas anymore; we no longer know how to rejoice. I don't know what to say—sad, sorrowful, and we don't know what awaits us, but we must go on", Pesic said.

"There is fear; older people are afraid of what will happen. We Serbs here in the Sirinicka Zupa really live in a ghetto", another resident of Strpce adds.

KSF member Azem Kurtaj, who shot Stefan and Milos, was released pending trial by the decision of the court in Urosevac. Milos's representative, Veljko D. Radic, points out that the last hearing was held on March 16, and the case is now before the Appeals Court.

"If I were to summarize the impressions of the entire process, my expectation was that this criminal case would proceed quite quickly. However, the last hearing before the Basic Court in Urosevac was the initial hearing on March 16, 2023, and since that day, neither I, representing Milos Stojanovic, nor my colleague, representing the minor Stefan Stojanovic, have received any invitation or written information about the progress and status of the criminal proceedings against the accused Azem Kurtaj. According to the information I obtained in the Basic Court in Urosevac from the presiding judge, the case is currently before the Appeals Court in Pristina, and the accused Azem Kurtaj is now at liberty. The measure of detention was replaced by conditional detention by the decision on March 16, and after two months, it was revoked, and the accused is now at liberty", Radic said.

The President of the Municipality of Strpce, Dalibor Jevtic, emphasizes that even a year after the attack on Serbian boys Stefan and Milos Stojanovic on Christmas Eve, the main impression is that injustice is at play, and the Serbs as a people are legally unprotected.

"And this Christmas, we feel that the Serbs as a people are unprotected in a legal sense. When such a situation occurs, which happened a year ago, the institutions that should act not only in terms of punishment but also in preventive action, preventing something similar in the future, are not doing their job the way they should. I think that's the main impression. I have spoken on this topic several times during 2023 and have been attacked even by the lawyer defending the one who shot Stefan and Milos. Such public reactions adequately describe the situation and circumstances in which we, as a people, live today", Jevtic said.

He believes that in the spirit of the Christmas holiday, many do not support what happened on January 6, but emphasizes that institutions need to be more decisive in delivering justice.

"I take this opportunity to call on the relevant institutions to take a close look, analyze, and make the fairest decision. Because the decision is not only for the perpetrator to be punished but must also have the weight of prevention, preventing anyone from thinking they can do something like that and get away with it. I think that's the main thing that I, the families, and my fellow citizens expect on this issue", Jevtic said for Kosovo Online.

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