The murder of Dimitrije Popovic a symbol of the suffering of the Serbian people in Kosovo

On this day in 2004, seventeen-year-old Dimitrije Popovic was killed in Gracanica. His tragic fate has become one of the symbols of the suffering of the Serbian people in Kosovo following the arrival of international forces. In more recent times, violence against the Serbian population has become institutionalized and takes place in front of the international community, with the aim of expelling the Serbs, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija emphasizes.

“Popovic was killed with a firearm by a minor Albanian, without any guilt or provocation, and his young life was ended as a consequence of senseless hatred. Today, our hearts and thoughts are with the family and friends of the late Dimitrije, with the hope that no more of our compatriots in Kosovo and Metohija will fall victim to hate crimes in the future,” the statement reads.

The tragic year of 2004, in which many Serbs perished and lost everything they had in a wave of senseless chauvinistic hatred, serves as an eternal warning of how fragile and unstable peace in Kosovo is, and how threatened Serbs and other non-Albanian communities are, the Office emphasizes.

“In recent times, violence against the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija has been institutionalized and is carried out primarily through attacks on Serbian institutions and violations of human and political rights. In this sense, crime is still being committed in plain view of the international community, because the ultimate goal of all violence, regardless of its form, is the exodus of Serbs,” the statement underscores.

It adds that the Serbs in Gracanica are determined to remain on their ancestral lands, gathered around one of the greatest Serbian holy sites, and that the Office for Kosovo and Metohija will continue to support and assist them in that effort.