Eparchy of Raska and Prizren: The regime in Pristina threatens a new pogrom against the Serbs and the SOC

Despite international appeals for de-escalation in the north of Kosovo, the release of three arrested Kosovo police officers by the Serbian authorities and yesterday's denial by KFOR, in connection with the unfounded and dangerously malicious accusations of the member of the British Parliament Alicia Kearns, against the Serbian Orthodox Church, in connection with the alleged "arms smuggling", Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, unfortunately, continued to make provocative statements, according to the announcement of the Eparchy of Raska and Prizren.

As stated in the announcement, this behavior openly encouraged ethnic and religious intolerance against the Serbs and the SOC in Kosovo and Metohija, which further worsened the already extremely difficult and unstable situation.

The Eparchy of Raska and Prizren has received confidential and reliable information indicating that in the coming days and weeks, the Kosovo government allegedly intends to initiate a series of actions aimed at further discrediting the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"These actions may refer to the continuation of further systematic media smearing of our church and its believers, planting false evidence, repressive actions and further inciting ethnic and religious intolerance. The Eparchy will forward to the leading Western embassies and KFOR in Pristina any additional information it receives. for the purpose of further verification and in order to take the necessary measures to prevent further escalation of ethnically motivated violence and attacks against the Serbian Orthodox Church," the statement said.

The statement adds that yesterday during the day Prime Minister Kurti first said at a press conference that the allegations against the SOC must be investigated and that the Kosovo government will give the final word on this, and then he repeated the accusations against the SOV on Twitter after meeting with a high-ranking official of the NATO alliance, stating that weapons that had been allegedly transported to Kosovo in ambulances had been left in Orthodox churches, although KFOR announced in its press release yesterday morning that there was no evidence for such serious accusations.

"This situation shows the reality in Kosovo and Metohija, where the Prime Minister is the prosecutor and the final arbiter. At the same time, the accusations of the British parliamentarian, Kearns, against the SOC, with which she did not present either the position of the government in London or the NATO alliance, but, apparently, information received from Kurti a few days ago during his stay in London, we perceive as a dangerous abuse and a gross insult. Unfortunately, Mrs. Kearns stood by her statements against the SOC in her interview yesterday, despite the denials of the KFOR mission that these are baseless claims. Moreover, this is just one example of the dangerous manipulation to which the SOC in Kosovo and Metohija, we remind, has been exposed for years and which served as a reason for the attack on 150 of our sanctuaries, which were recklessly destroyed and desecrated," the statement added.

Manipulating public opinion by spreading false information is, after all, part of the political platform of the "Self-Determination" Movement of Kurti, which is known to, at least, a part of the impartial and objective public. We believe that this kind of behavior does not even have the support of many moderate Kosovar Albanians because such a policy cannot lead to the European future of this part of the Balkans, but encourages further conflicts and instability, the Eparchy points out.

"And on this occasion, we emphasize that our church has a peaceful, but also determined attitude that we want a dignified and safe life for all citizens in this area. Therefore, we feel obliged to condemn every form of violence and repression. Unfortunately, at the same time, we also see that this attitude of ours is a hindrance to what is already looming as the ultimate goal of Kurti, who for years was and remained the fiercest opponent of the coexistence of the Serbs and Albanians and an open advocate of an ethnically pure Greater Albania. It is absurd that Kurti and his closest associates, who until yesterday themselves participated in attacks on EULEX and the police (international and Kosovo), threw Molotov cocktails at the buildings of the Kosovo government and police, planted tear gas in the Assembly, destroyed public property, endangered people's lives and were arrested, today they present themselves as the supposed defenders of the law, which they recklessly violate on several sides, ignoring even all the international warnings. That is why it is no wonder that our role among the Serbs and the international reputation of our Church in Kosovo and Metohija is an obstacle to the efforts of the current Kosovo government to carry out the complete ethnic cleansing of the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija; this time still not through open attacks and vandalism as in the pogrom of 2004, in which a significant number of Kurti's followers and the "Kosovo Action Network" (predecessor of today's "Self-Determination") participated, but above all through the Special Forces of the Kosovo Police. In recent years, our people perceive these formations as a kind of paramilitary and occupying force that instills fear, and not as a police force that should ensure peace and security for all citizens without distinction," the Eparchy of Raska and Prizren said.

In the announcement, it is noted that according to the knowledge of the Eparchy, in the last few months alone, over 2,000 Serbian families from the north of Kosovo had been forced to leave their homes due to police repression, which continued with even greater intensity with demonstrations of force on the streets of Serbian settlements, arbitrary arrests without court orders, public targeting of prominent figures on a national and political basis, keeping people in captivity without clear legal grounds, all with an aggressive media campaign by party bots, especially on social networks, where they openly called for hatred and violence.

"With this behavior of the Kosovo authorities, the remaining Serbs are further intimidated and further expelled from this area. That is why it can rightly be said that we are facing a repetition of the March pogrom of 2004, only with different methods, but with apparently the same goals. The Serbs have never, since the end of the armed conflict in 1999, lived in more difficult circumstances and greater legal and physical insecurity, and that is another reason for all of us to show unity and firm resolution to survive together in the areas where we have lived for centuries. By doing so, we will be worthy of our ancestors who went through similar trials and atrocities for centuries. As a Church that has stood by its people for centuries, and which condemned equally harshly the repression of Albanians during the rule of Slobodan Milosevic, selflessly providing protection to all the vulnerable during the war, we have the full moral right to raise our voice against this current injustice, which, for unlike the previous one, it is carried out despite the presence of international representatives and forces of KFOR. At the same time, we once again condemn any form of violent opposition to the repression of the Kosovo Police and call on the Serbs to oppose the injustice calmly, with dignity, and with perseverance," the statement said.

The Eparchy of Raska and Prizren warns that the aggressive behavior of the current Kosovo authorities, which ignore the latest EU political and economic measures introduced due to the non-compliance of the government in Pristina with the international plan to de-escalate the situation, directly leads to further deterioration of the security situation and wider regional instability in the Western Balkans. In such conditions, it is completely unrealistic to talk about a normal continuation of the dialogue.

"Dialogue requires trust and respect for what has been agreed, and trust cannot be built on threats, dictatorship, and blackmail, and especially not on the ever-increasing repression of the non-majority population. That is why, on this occasion, we call on international representatives and the KFOR mission to prevent this new pogrom that is carried out by abusing institutions that are intended to work for the benefit of all citizens, instead of acting as a tool of a political organization, causing enormous damage not only to the Serbs and other non-majority populations in Kosovo and Metohija but also to the Kosovo Albanians. In recent years, the number of emigration of young Albanians who do not see a perspective in a society that leads to isolation, conflict, and ethnic hatred has increased many times. Systematic robberies and selective justice encourage the emigration of the remaining communities from Kosovo and Metohija, which is an additional indicator of political and economic instability. The Serbian Orthodox Church remains firmly resolved to work on building peace and cooperation with all people of goodwill, but also to oppose all lawlessness, untruths, and repression with evangelical, truthful, and fearless testimony about the injustice that is being carried out against the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija today,” the announcement concludes.