Office for Kosovo and Metohija: In the returnee village of Ljubozda two Serbian houses were broken into during holidays

During the Christmas holidays in the returnee village of Ljubozda in the municipality of Istok, the family houses of Zarko Zaric and Radomir Ristic were broken into, as announced today by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

Most Serbs from this Metohija village spent the holidays with their relatives in central Serbia, and upon their return, it was discovered that furniture, agricultural machinery, and firewood were stolen from two houses.

"It is obviously an organized action involving multiple individuals, and the returning Serbs in Ljubozda are outraged, not only by the fact that the affected families suffered significant material damage but also by the fact that this brazen and audacious attack occurred during the most joyous Christian holiday when both Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija were sending messages of peace and tolerance", the statement said.

The Office calls for the burglars to be urgently identified and brought to justice.

"We demand that the burglars be urgently identified and brought to justice because otherwise, this incident will be another confirmation that there is an organized and Pristina-inspired campaign of intimidation and persecution of the Serbs, especially returnees as the most vulnerable category, taking place in Kosovo and Metohija", the Office for Kosovo and Metohija emphasizes.

One of the affected individuals, Zarko Zaric, is in custody due to "fabricated" accusations of participating in crimes during the conflicts in Kosovo. They stress that the burglary of Zaric's house is "adding insult to injury.."

"The Office for Kosovo and Metohija will provide assistance and support to the affected families through its representatives in the field, as has been done in similar situations before", the statement concludes.