Raška and Prizren Diocese most strongly condemns the brutal murder of the two Serb returnees in Talinovac village near Uroševac

H.G. Teodosije, Bishop of Raška and Prizren most strongly condemned the brutal crime in the village of Talinovac near Uroševac, in which yesterday evening two Serb returnees, Milovan and Ljiljana Jevtić lost their lives.

„The brutal crime against the Jevtić family, as well as many pressures and intimidation which the local Serbs from this village have been facing since their return, demonstrate that the latest crime represents the culmination of the ethnically motivated repression, the goal of which has been to force Serbs to leave their homes and sell their property to local Albanians“, said Bishop Teodosije

“Yesterday, not long after the Kosovo police arrived to the village to carry out the investigation, in the presence of dozens of police officers, a house of a Serb returnee was looted in Talinovac. This incident clearly shows how much KP is able to protect the lives and property of Kosovo Serbs in this area. The Serb returnees in this village have been exposed to constant danger and property trespassing, which seriously undermines the prospects of their normal future there and even more compromises the process of returns, which, as it is very well known, has almost completely stopped”, the Bishop added.

Bishop Teodosije sent his appeal to the international representatives in Kosovo as well as the local institutions to insist on urgent investigation of this brutal crime and provide the Serbs in Talinovac a peaceful and safe life in dignity. If police fails to find the perpetrators of this crime, as was the case in several previous ethnically motivated crimes, among which is the murder of the Stolić family in Obilić in 2003, this latest incident will additionally demonstrate that the responsibility for the current security situation does not lie only on individual extremists but also on local institutions, which often turn the blind eye, or even tacitly encourage and tolerate violent and intolerant behavior towards Serb returnees.

ERP Info-service
www.eparhija-prizren.com

———-

Tomorrow, after the Sunday’s liturgy in Gračanica Bishop Teodosije will visit the Serb returnees in Talinovac in order to convey the solidarity of the Diocese in the current situation.

Two Serb returnees murdered in Kosovo

Source: Beta, Tanjug, B92

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes-article.php?yyyy=2012&mm=07&dd=07&nav_id=81145

UROŠEVAC — Milovan Jevtić and his wife Ljiljana were murdered around 22:00 CET on Friday in the village of Talinovac near Uroševac.

Milovan Jevtić (B92)

The spouses were around 55 years old and Milovan was a village council representative, Serbia’s Ministry for Kosovo has stated.

Kosovo police regional spokesman Agim Gashi says that the couple was shot with a 7.62 caliber weapon.

According to him, the police still have no suspects and nobody has been arrested yet.

Uroševac Municipality Coordinator Milan Janjić said earlier that it is still unknown how Milovan and Ljiljana Jevtić died.

Kosovo Deputy Interior Minister Saša Rašić told Tanjug earlier on Saturday that the Kosovo police had launched the investigation and that special investigative units were working on the case, adding that circumstances surrounding the murder were still unknown.

Janjić said that Ljiljana had arrived to Talinovac several days ago and that the other village residents had not heard anything since their house was located in the outskirts of the village.

A neighbor, who came for a visit, found the bodies.

“EULEX and Kosovo police sealed off the house,” Janjić told KiM Radio.

Village council representative Branislav Milenković said he had last seen the Jevtić’s on Friday. He asked the police to evacuate five or six Serbian families from the village, but a policeman said that they should not worry about their safety.

Janjić said that Milovan and Ljiljana Jevtić returned to Kosovo in 2004.