Still no justice for the victims – 23 years since the killing and wounding of Serbian children at Bistrica

On this day 23 years ago, Serbian children swimming in the Bistrica River near Gorazdevac, not far from Pec, came under gunfire. Ivan Jovovic (19) and Pantelija Dakic (12) were killed, while Bogdan Bukumiric (14), Marko Bogicevic (12), Dragana Srbljak (13), and Djordje Ugrenovic (20) were seriously wounded. No one has been held accountable for the crime.

A group of around 50 Serbian children and young people who were swimming in the Bistrica River on August 13, 2003, came under a burst of gunfire. Eighty-seven rounds were fired.

According to UNMIK investigators, an unknown number of people opened fire from the bushes with Kalashnikov rifles. During the investigation, UNMIK and the Kosovo Police questioned around 70 witnesses and searched approximately 100 houses, but the perpetrators have still not been brought to justice.

Belgrade immediately requested a meeting of the UN Security Council. During the UN Security Council session on August 18, 2003, all 15 members condemned the violence and expressed deep concern that such brutal incidents were continuing to occur four years after the conflict.

However, nothing was learned about the perpetrators even after UNMIK offered a one-million-euro reward for information about the case.

In 2010, EULEX formally suspended the investigation due to a lack of evidence. It had taken over the investigation from UNMIK upon its arrival in Kosovo, noting that it could be reopened if new information emerged.

Last year, on the anniversary of the killings, the father of the murdered Panto Dakic, Milisav, called on Kosovo's caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti to reopen the investigation and find the killer.

“He should reopen the investigation and find the killer. He should know that family and a child are sacred,” Milisav Dakic said.