Jovanovic: Massacre in Staro Gracko remains unpunished after 26 years – Serbs still face brutal repression

State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nevena Jovanovic, stated via the social media platform “X” that today marks 26 years since the massacre in the village of Staro Gracko, where 14 Serbian harvesters were brutally murdered while working their land, emphasizing that their only “crime” was being Serbian.

“This crime, committed before the eyes of the international community, remains unpunished to this day. The perpetrators remain at large, and instead of justice – there is a wall of silence and political protection for the criminals,” Jovanovic said.

She stressed that the massacre in Staro Gracko is not merely a wound from the past, but a responsibility for all of us “not to forget, not to accept, and not to give up.”

Jovanovic noted that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija still live under constant threat, subjected to brutal repression, ethnically motivated violence, and systematic discrimination.

“The regime of Albin Kurti is conducting an organized campaign of intimidation and persecution against the Serbian people – from assaults on children, raids on homes, and violations of basic rights, to politically orchestrated trials,” she stated.

She also recalled the arrest of Igor Popovic, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, and assessed that this sends a clear message that Serbs have no legal security – whether they are officials or ordinary citizens.

“The arrest of Igor Popovic is not a legal act, but politically motivated violence and a defeat of every effort to reach sustainable solutions through peaceful means and dialogue. Serbia will not remain silent. Serbia will not give up. We will not accept silence about crimes, nor the normalization of injustice and violence,” Jovanovic emphasized.

In conclusion, she called on the international community to “clearly and unequivocally oppose the dangerous and extremist regime of Albin Kurti, which with every move undermines peace, destabilizes the region, and systematically represses the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.”