Serbian Ministry of Culture: Destruction of headstones sends the message that even deceased Serbs cannot rest in peace

The Serbian Ministry of Culture has strongly condemned the destruction of headstones and the desecration of crosses and graves at the Serbian cemetery in Gnjilane.

“In an atmosphere of continuous attacks and assaults on Serbs, as well as on Serbian cultural and religious heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, even cemeteries, which bear witness to the lives of the Serbian people in their centuries-old homeland, are increasingly not being spared,” the statement reads.

They add that the sight of the destroyed and desecrated cemetery in Gnjilane, a town that was once home to 15,000 Serbs, is not only an act of vandalism and barbarism but also reveals the shocking extent of efforts to eradicate everything with a Serbian identity in Kosovo.

“This violent act clearly demonstrates that the atmosphere of fear, hatred, and intolerance towards Serbs persists unabated. Particularly concerning is the fact that the provisional self-government institutions in Pristina are making no effort whatsoever to protect the remaining Serbs, nor their cultural and religious heritage. The destruction of headstones is an additional form of intimidation and a clear message that even deceased Serbs cannot be safe or rest in peace, all with the aim of rewriting history and creating a fictitious false state,” the statement continues.

The Ministry of Culture is calling on all international organizations and institutions to respond, as stated in the announcement, to the policy of hatred and violence within the scope of their mandates and competencies.