Office for Kosovo and Metohija: The killing of the Simic brothers in Slivovo is one of many crimes against Serbs without resolution

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija recalled today that four Serbs were killed 27 years ago in the village of Slivovo near Novo Brdo and that their deaths remain one of many crimes against Serbs that, even after more than two decades, have not received a judicial resolution.

"Twenty-seven years ago, four Serbian lives were extinguished in the village of Slivovo near Novo Brdo. Trajan, Dimitrije, Zivojin, and Zivko Simic were brutally killed not far from their homes, on the land where they were born and which they did not want to leave. Their deaths remain one of the many crimes against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija that, even after more than two decades, have not received a judicial epilogue," the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said in a statement.

The statement emphasizes that although the crime occurred in the presence of international security forces and within the area of responsibility of the British KFOR contingent, truth and justice for the Simic family have still not been delivered.

The perpetrators have never been found, and the memory of this crime remains a reminder that without the punishment of crimes there can be no genuine peace, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated.

The Office also stressed that the fate of the Simic brothers bears witness to the tragic days endured by the Serbian people in Kosovo, including after the arrival of international missions.

It recalled that in an atmosphere of fear and insecurity, even their funeral could not be held in their native village. Instead, they were buried in Gracanica, where their families sought the safety that had been denied to them in Slivovo.

"Today, as we mark the anniversary of their deaths, we remember not only four innocently killed men. We remember all Serbs who suffered because they wanted to remain on their ancestral land, to preserve their homes, their families, and their Serbian identity in Kosovo and Metohija. It is our duty not to allow their names to be forgotten and to persevere in the search for truth, regardless of the passage of time," the statement said.

It added that by preserving the memory of the Simic brothers, the dignity of all Serbian victims in Kosovo is also being preserved.

"Only a people who do not forget their victims have the strength to defend the truth about their past and build a safer future for the generations to come," the statement concluded.