Dren residents' petition for the land expropriation decision annulment: We will fight with peaceful means

Dren residents, who have been protesting for three days due to the illegal usurpation of their property, organized today the signing of a petition asking the Kosovo Government to cancel the decision on their land expropriation. Jovan Milovanovic, one of the owners of the land slated for expropriation, says this is another form of a peaceful protest and a fight to preserve their property.

"We have gathered today to try to save ourselves from this violent oppression and usurpation of our properties with a peaceful protest. The construction of another base has begun, and I thank everyone for coming to help us persevere in our demands. This is happening in Dren today, it can be in another place tomorrow, and it is up to us to try to stay on our grandfathers' land so that children can walk here unhindered. We will try to send a protest with this petition," Milovanovic said.

About a hundred residents of Dren and the surrounding villages signed a petition this morning in cold weather, demanding the annulment of the expropriation decision made on January 16.

Mladen Sljivic also came from Lesak this morning to support his brothers in the just fight, as he says, to preserve their properties and what their grandfathers and fathers left them as a bequest.

"The terror against us Serbs continues. We have been living on our hearths here for centuries. We oppose this terror with peaceful means and fight for the realization of our rights. Some have started moving out by sending their children away from here. We hope that the international community and the institutions in Pristina will understand that we can no longer endure this. We ask them to stop this terror. I also know Albanians who work on the construction site, and they say they have no problems with us, but unfortunately, the command is from the centers of power, and one man and one spark is enough to create hatred. We hoped that there would be reconciliation and that everyone would understand that it is better to live in peace, but unfortunately, someone is leading it the other way. We will fight with peaceful means and draw attention to the fact that we cannot be pressured like this," Sljivic said.

One of the locals told us that he came here today to show everyone that they wanted to stay at their hearths.

"We are here today to show that we want to stay in our place and not give away our heritage and our land. We will fight to stay here, where we have lived until now," he said.

Marijana Tanaskovic from Miolice village says she is here to support her neighbors in defending their land, property, and rights that have been violated.

"We came to defend our land. We will not allow anyone to steal what is ours, and we will fight to the end to preserve the heritage for our children," Tanaskovic said.