2004 unrest in Kosovo

Ethnic violence in Kosovo Pogrom against the Serbs March Pogrom the pogrom after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo 2004 unrest in Kosovo infobox 2/2/2/1 300 Kosovo-metohija-koreni-duse048.jpg Kisha e Shen Spasit Shelbuesit - Prizren 01.jpg Downtown Vista with Ruins of Serb House Destroyed in 2004 Pogrom - Prizren - Kosovo.jpg Kosovo-metohija-koreni-duse016.jpg center Ruins of Serbian houses and Serbian Orthodox monasteries 17–18 March 2004(03 17 2004 03 18 2004) Kosovo under UN administration *19 dead (11 Albanians and 8 Serbs) and more than 4,000 Serbs expelled from Kosovo.Çollaku Petrit Deadly 2004 Unrest 'Damaged Kosovo's Image' https://balkaninsight.com/2015/03/18/march-events-have-faded-kosovo-s-image/ Balkan Insight 18 March 2015FM talks Kosovo at U.S. college https://www.b92.net/o/eng/news/politics?yyyy=2011&mm=03&dd=18&nav_id=73300 B92.net https://web.archive.org/web/20200624123506/https://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2011&mm=03&dd=18&nav_id=73300 24 June 2020 18 March 2011 935 houses and 35 Orthodox churches and monasteries desecrated, damaged or destroyedhttps://www.coe.int/en/web/culture-and-heritage Culture and Cultural Heritage at the Council of Europe - Homepage - Culture and Cultural Heritage - www.coe.int Culture and Cultural Heritage 2023-05-27 2015-09-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230335/http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/cooperation/see/countries/kosovo_en.asp livehttp://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2010&mm=03&dd=17&nav_id=65852 Six years since March violence in Kosovo B92 17 March 2010 7 September 2015 29 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150929083109/http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2010&mm=03&dd=17&nav_id=65852 live Inclusion of Medieval Monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage in DangerKosovo: Protection and Conservation of a Multi-Ethnic Heritage in Danger http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001389/138966eb.pdf UNESCO April 2004 2018-02-23 2013-12-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20131215010920/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001389/138966eb.pdf liveBetween Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean https://books.google.com/books?id=VqCrBAAAQBAJ&q=kosovo+heritage+in+danger&pg=PA228 2014 9781472426017 Ferrari Professor Silvio Benzo Dr Andrea Ashgate Publishing Burning of mosques in Belgrade and other places in Serbia and Montenegro Serbia 1991 Kosovo Serbs Albania Kosovo AlbaniansFlamuri i Policisë së Kosovës.svg Kosovo Police United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo Logo.svg UNMIKFlag of the Kosovo Force.svg KFOR Unknown Over 70,000https://www.csis.gc.ca/pblctns/cmmntr/cm87-eng.asp Commentary No. 87: The Status of Kosovo: Political and Security Implications for the Balkans and Europe 2012-02-13 https://archive.today/20121217101130/https://www.csis.gc.ca/pblctns/cmmntr/cm87-eng.asp 2012-12-17 dead 8 killed 11 killed On 17–18 March 2004, violence erupted in Kosovo, leaving hundreds wounded and at least 19 people dead. The unrest was precipitated by unsubstantiated reports in the Kosovo Albanian media which claimed that three Kosovo Albanian boys had drowned after being chased into the Ibar River by a group of Kosovo Serbs. UN peacekeepers and NATO troops scrambled to contain a gun battle between Serbs and Albanians in the partitioned town of Mitrovica, before the violence spread to other parts of Kosovo.Fourteen dead as ethnic violence sweeps Kosovo https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/18/balkans The Guardian 18 March 2004 17 March 2018 28 August 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130828003156/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/18/balkans live Kosovo Serb communities and cultural heritage were attacked by crowds of Albanians. Serbs call the event the March Pogrom (sr Мартовски погром Martovski pogrom),The Government of the Republic of Serbia The March Pogrom (2004) https://www.srbija.gov.rs/kosovo-metohija/en/8923 9 December 2019 17 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200517182804/https://www.srbija.gov.rs/kosovo-metohija/en/8923 live while the Albanians call it the March Unrest (sq Trazirat e marsit). The violence resulted in the displacement of more than 4,000 Kosovo Serbs and other minorities. More than 935 houses, along with 35 Serbian Orthodox churches, monasteries and other religious buildings were destroyed. International and domestic courts in Pristina have prosecuted people who have taken part in the violence, including those who attacked several Serbian Orthodox churches, handing down prison sentences ranging from 21 months to 16 years.Four Years Later: Follow up of March 2004 Riots Cases before the Kosovo Criminal Justice System https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/e/1/32700.pdf osce.org 3–4, 23 July 2008Bitter Memories of Kosovo's Deadly March Riots http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bitter-memories-of-kosovo-s-deadly-march-riots balkaninsight.com 17 March 2015 17 March 2018 4 October 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151004210424/http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bitter-memories-of-kosovo-s-deadly-march-riots live Some of the destroyed churches have since been rebuilt by the Government of Kosovo in cooperation with the Serbian Orthodox Church and the UN mission in Kosovo.Rindërtimi i kishave serbe në Kosovë pritet të përfundojë këtë vit https://www.dw.com/sq/rind%C3%ABrtimi-i-kishave-serbe-n%C3%AB-kosov%C3%AB-pritet-t%C3%AB-p%C3%ABrfundoj%C3%AB-k%C3%ABt%C3%AB-vit/a-5363804 sq Deutsche Welle 17 March 2010 9 February 2020 14 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200514190234/https://www.dw.com/sq/rind%C3%ABrtimi-i-kishave-serbe-n%C3%AB-kosov%C3%AB-pritet-t%C3%AB-p%C3%ABrfundoj%C3%AB-k%C3%ABt%C3%AB-vit/a-5363804 live The events led to protests in Serbia, and the burning of mosques in Belgrade and other places. 2 Background The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was an ethnic-Albanian organisation which had as its founding goal unification of Albanian inhabited lands in the Balkans, stressing Albanian culture, ethnicity and nation.Yoshihara 2006 67–68.Perritt 2008 29.Koktsidis Dam 2008 165–166. Conflict escalated from 1997 onward due to the Yugoslav army retaliating with a crackdown in the region resulting in violence and population displacements.Goldman 1997 308, 373.Allan Zelizer 2004 178. The bloodshed, ethnic cleansing of thousands of Albanians driving them into neighbouring countries and the potential of it to destabilize the region provoked intervention by international organizations and agencies, such as the United Nations, NATO and INGOs.Jordan Robert S. International organizations: A comparative approach to the management of cooperation 129 2001 Greenwood Publishing Group 9780275965495 Some people from non-Albanian communities such as the Serbs and Romani fled Kosovo fearing revenge attacks by armed people and returning refugees while others were pressured by the KLA and armed gangs to leave.Herring 2000 232–234. Post conflict Kosovo was placed under an international United Nations framework with the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) overseeing administrative affairs and the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR) dealing with defence.Herring 2000 232. Within post-conflict Kosovo Albanian society, calls for retaliation for previous violence done by Serb forces during the war circulated through public culture.Herscher 2010 14. Following the assassination of Zoran Đinđić and the reduction in the number of KFOR military personnel, tolerance between communities began to wane. On 13 August 2003, four ethnic Serbs were wounded and two killed when unknown assailants opened fire with automatic rifles on a group of mostly children by a river in the village of Goraždevac. Preparations were underway for the start of negotiations on the status of the territory between representatives of the Albanians on one side and Serbia and Montenegro on the other. In 2004, prolonged negotiations over Kosovo's future status, sociopolitical problems and nationalist sentiments resulted in the Kosovo unrest.Rausch Banar 2006 246.Egleder 2013 79. Prelude Shooting of Serbian teen On 15 March 2004 an 18-year-old Serb, Jovica Ivić, was shot and wounded in a drive-by shooting in the village of Čaglavica in the central region of Kosovo.U Čaglavici pucano na srpskog mladića iz automobila u pokretu http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2004&mm=03&dd=15&nav_category=12&nav_id=135320 21 December 2014 Beta B92 15 March 2004 4 February 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150204185207/http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2004&mm=03&dd=15&nav_category=12&nav_id=135320 live 16 March pro-KLA protests On 16 March, three KLA war veterans associations organized widespread demonstrations in ethnic Albanian cities and towns, protesting the arrests of former KLA leaders on war crime charges, including the February arrests of four commanders.Bouckaert 2004 17 The pro-KLA, anti-UNMIK protests, with 18,000 protesters, lay the basis for the following demonstrations sparked by the sensational reports of drowning of three Albanian children.Bouckaert 2004 18 Drowning of Albanian children On 16 March, three Albanian children drowned in the Ibar River in the village of Çabër, near the Serb community of Zubin Potok. A fourth boy survived. Initial reports alleged that the children had been chased into the river by Serbs, possibly in relation to the shooting of Ivić the previous day, but no evidence was found to confirm these claims. https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3667839.stm BBC No evidence over Kosovo drownings 2004-04-28 2010-01-05 2012-02-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20120204075342/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3667839.stm live UN police spokesman Neeraj Singh said the surviving boy had been under intense pressure from ethnic Albanian journalists who had suggested what he should say. His version of events differed from that of two other children who had also been in the river, Singh told a news conference in Pristina. The spokesperson said there were "very significant" inconsistencies in the accounts given by the child during two separate interviews, and a lack of corroboration of his story. "In fact, it is logically at odds in several respects with other evidence," Mr. Singh said.http://reliefweb.int/node/146375 Lack of evidence stalls probe into drowning of 3 Kosovo children, UN Mission says ReliefWeb 28 April 2004 15 February 2015 8 January 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140108124419/http://reliefweb.int/node/146375 livehttp://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/bs/features/setimes/features/2004/04/040429-SVETLA-001 UN Investigation Clears Serbs of Kosovo Drownings 29 April 2004 15 February 2015 4 October 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131004232900/http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/bs/features/setimes/features/2004/04/040429-SVETLA-001 live The UN found no evidence that Serbs were responsible for drowning the three Albanian children. Violence thumb|250px|Ruins of a Kosovo Serb house in Prizren that was destroyed by rioters. On 17 and 18 March 2004, a wave of violent riots swept through Kosovo, triggered by two incidents perceived as ethnically motivated acts. Demonstrations, although seemingly spontaneous at the outset, quickly focused on Serbs throughout Kosovo.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 Thousands of Albanians gathered at the south end of the bridge across the Ibar at Mitrovica, which divides the Serb and Albanian districts of the town.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 A large crowd of Serbs gathered at the north end to prevent the Albanians from crossing. Peacekeepers from the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) blockaded the bridge, using tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to keep the crowds apart.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 The violence quickly spread to other parts of Kosovo, with Kosovo Serb communities and Serbian cultural heritage (churches and monasteries) attacked by crowds of Albanians. Serb returnees were attacked.B92 Specijal 2004 Some of the locations were ostensibly under the protection of KFOR at the time. During the riots and violence, at least 35 churches were damaged, including 18 monuments of culture, which were demolished, burnt or severely damaged. According to Human Rights Watch, the violence resulted in the deaths of nineteen people; 8 Kosovo Serbs and 11 Kosovo Albanians. More than a thousand were wounded including more than 120 KFOR personnel.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 More than 4,000 Serbs were driven out of their homes and more than 900 houses belonging to non-Albanians were burned.11 years since "March Pogrom" of Serbs in Kosovo https://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2015&mm=03&dd=17&nav_id=93505 B92 17 March 2015 17 November 2020 13 July 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180713170845/https://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2015&mm=03&dd=17&nav_id=93505 live By one estimate, more than 50,000 people participated in the riots.Çollaku Petrit Deadly 2004 Unrest 'Damaged Kosovo's Image' https://balkaninsight.com/2015/03/18/march-events-have-faded-kosovo-s-image/ BalkanInsight 18 March 2015 17 November 2020 23 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210523210134/https://balkaninsight.com/2015/03/18/march-events-have-faded-kosovo-s-image/ live Čaglavica In Čaglavica, 12,000 Kosovo Albanian rioters tried to storm the Serb-populated areas. KFOR peacekeepers from Sweden, Norway and Finland led by Swedish Lieutenant Colonel Hans Håkansson created a blockade by using tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades, in order to keep the two groups apart. A truck was driven by a Kosovo Albanian at full speed towards the barricade in an attempt to penetrate the line. After firing warning shots at the truck, the peacekeepers had to use deadly force to avoid friendly casualties, and shot the driver. 16 peacekeepers were injured, and 13 had to be evacuated.Kjell-Olav Myhre 2014 Kosovo 2004: 12000 kosovoalbanerne angriper den kosovoserbiske landsbyen Caglavica Kosovo 2004: 12,000 Kosovo Albanians assault the Kosovo Serb village of Caglavica no http://forsvaret.no/sites/video/PublishingImages/veterandagen-2014-kjellolav/veteran-2014-kjellolavmyhre.mp4 9 May 2014 Forsvaret (Norwegian Armed Forces) dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140714072330/http://forsvaret.no/sites/video/PublishingImages/veterandagen-2014-kjellolav/veteran-2014-kjellolavmyhre.mp4 14 July 2014 Another KFOR unit consisting of mostly Swedish soldiers also participated in defending Čaglavica that day, supported by people from the barracks who normally worked with non-military tasks. Lieutenant Colonel Hans Håkansson, who commanded 700 people during the unrest, reported that the fighting went on for 11 hours, and that many collapsed due to dehydration and injuries while struggling to fend off waves of rioters.Zaremba Maciej Mandom, mod och landstingstossor https://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/kulturdebatt/mandom-mod-och-landstingstossor/ 9 May 2014 Dagens Nyheter 15 June 2007 20 April 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140420152751/http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/kulturdebatt/mandom-mod-och-landstingstossor/ live In total, 35 people were injured while defending the town. Hans Håkansson was awarded with a medal for his actions by the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences in 2005.Gotländsk militär får belöningsmedalj http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=94&artikel=729267 11 January 2015 Sveriges Radio P4 Gotland 8 November 2005 3 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213918/http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=94&artikel=729267 live Pristina Following the attacks in Čaglavica, the mob of Albanians turned their attention on the few remaining Serbs living in Pristina in the YU Program apartments.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 The apartments came under attack after the mob of Albanians blocked all of the entrances and set fire to the ground floors. Serbs who tried to flee the apartments were shot at by firearms or stabbed by members of the crowd. The mob began to loot apartments and were chanting pro Kosovo Liberation Army chants and calling for the killing of Serbs.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 It took KFOR (mainly Irish Soldiers) and UNMIK police over 6 hours to evacuate the Serbs who were under constant fire from armed Albanians. Following the evacuation the crowd began to converge on the Church of the Christ Savour burning and damaging the facade and inside.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 Peja/Peć Albanians rioted in the city of Peja, attacking UN offices.B92 Specijal 2004 One knife-wielding Albanian was shot and killed by UN police in the village of Belo Polje where Serb returnees were attacked. They sheltered at the local church. When they were ordered to evacuate, the Italian KFOR troops did not approach the church, leaving the evacuees vulnerable to attacks; 11 required first aid treatment for their injuries.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 Obiliq/Obilić In the town of Obiliq, burning of Serb homes took place along with the church. Witnesses state that Kosovo Police officers did not intervene and some participated in the violence.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 Lipjan/Lipljan Albanians and KFOR were engaged in gunfights in the town of Lipjan. Four Serbs were murdered, while Serbs taking refuge in the local Orthodox church were attacked.B92 Specijal 2004 Vushtrri/Vučtrn All Serb houses in the Serb-inhabited village of Svinjare in Vushtrri, near Kosovo Mitrovica, were burnt down. In the village of Sllatina, a group of Albanians threw stones at Serb houses; several elderly Serbs were severely beaten and wounded.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 In Vushtrri, rioters targeted the Ashkali community after burning the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Elijah. 69 homes were burned. Some Kosovo Police Service officers participated in the violence, arresting and abusing Ashkalis who were defending their homes.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 Fushë Kosovo/Kosovo Polje Every Serb home and institution in Kosovo Polje was burned, including the main post office, school, hospital and church. Several Serbs were severely beaten, one to death.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 Gjakova/Đakovica Serb homes and the Serbian Orthodox church in Gjakova were destroyed by Albanian rioters after the residents were evacuated and Italian KFOR withdrew.Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 Prizren On 17 March, ethnic Albanians started attacking the Serb settlement in Prizren, including the Seminary, and reportedly there was no UNMIK, Kosovo Police and KFOR present there at the time.Bouckaert 2004 54 The mob set the Seminary on fire, with people inside, and beat several elder people, with one man dying in the burning.Bouckaert 2004 54-55 The German KFOR's refusal to mobilize to protect the local Serbs are one of the main security failures of the 2004 unrest.Bouckaert 2004 55 UNMIK in Prizren said that the terror, 56 Serb houses and 5 historical churches that were burnt down, could have been prevented by KFOR.Bouckaert 2004 55 Destroyed churches thumb|left|Serbian Orthodox church of St. Elijah in Podujevo destroyed in 2004 unrest by Kosovo Albanians Destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo In an urgent appeal,http://spc.rs/eng/appeal_extraordinary_session_expanded_convocation_holy_synod_bishops Appeal from the extraordinary session of the Expanded Convocation of the Holy Synod of Serbian Orthodox Church 2017-04-13 2022-02-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20220219163501/http://spc.rs/eng/appeal_extraordinary_session_expanded_convocation_holy_synod_bishops dead issued on 18 March by the extraordinary session of the Expanded Convocation of the Holy Synod of Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC Serbian Orthodox Church), it was reported that a number of Serbian churches and shrines in Kosovo had been damaged or destroyed by rioters. At least 30 sites were completely destroyed, more or less destroyed, or further destroyed (sites that had been previously damaged).ERP KiM Info 2004 Apart from the churches and monasteries, tens of support buildings (such as parish buildings, economical buildings and residences) were destroyed, bringing the number close to 35 buildings of the SPC destroyed.ERP KiM Info 2004 All churches and objects of the SPC in Prizren were destroyed.ERP KiM Info 2004 The list includes several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Among those destroyed and damaged were:b92: Dopunjeni i ispravljeni spisak uništenih i oštećenih pravoslavnih crkava i manastira na Kosovu u toku martovskog nasilja https://web.archive.org/web/20100110022548/http://www.b92.net/specijal/kosovo2004/unistenecrkve.php 2010-01-10 (26 April 2004) srdD4ujefQ4tM „Porušeni manastiri na Kosovu i Metohiji“, Office for Kosovo and Metohija https://web.archive.org/web/20131203233339/http://www.kim.gov.rs/en 3 December 2013 en sr St Elijah's Church in Podujevo destroyed and desecrated, coffins from the nearby Serbian cemetery were dug up, and bones of the dead were scattered away.Munk Eva Czechs hold line in Kosovo http://www.praguepost.com/archivescontent/38889-czechs-hold-line-in-kosovo.html https://archive.today/20130201060633/http://www.praguepost.com/archivescontent/38889-czechs-hold-line-in-kosovo.html dead 1 February 2013 The Prague Post 25 March 2004 Skenderaj: Devič Monastery in Drenica, nuns evacuated by Danish soldiers, monastery pillaged and torched, the tomb of St Joannicius of Devič was desecrated.http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9906/17/kosovo.04/ CNN – KLA rebels accused of vandalizing Serb monastery – June 17, 1999 CNN 2014-03-03 2016-03-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095609/http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9906/17/kosovo.04/ deadDestruction of Christian Churches and Monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija Since Arrival of NATO http://www.sv-luka.org/Kosovo2000Part1.pdf sv-luka.org https://web.archive.org/web/20140828014859/http://www.sv-luka.org/Kosovo2000Part1.pdf 28 August 2014 Our Lady of Ljeviš in Prizren from 1307 (UNESCO World Heritage Site)Reconstruction Implementation Commission http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/CULTUREHERITAGE/COOPERATION/RIC/inc/eng/home.html Site on protection list 9 December 2010 18 July 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100718235452/http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/CULTUREHERITAGE/COOPERATION/RIC/inc/eng/home.html live the Church of Holy Salvation in Prizren, destroyed by vandals after German KFOR troops had left the site. Church of St George in Prizren (the city's largest church) Church of St George in Prizren (Runjevac) Church of St. Kyriaki, Church of St Nicolas (Tutić Church) in Prizren Monastery of The Holy Archangels in Prizren Prizren's Orthodox seminary of Saint Cyrillus and Methodius in Prizren HRW lists 27 Orthodox churches and monasteries burned and looted.May 2020 Reactions in Kosovo Kosovo Albanian politicians such as President Ibrahim Rugova and Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi joined UN governor Harri Holkeri, NATO southern commander Gregory Johnson, and other KFOR officials in condemning the violence and appealing for peace in Kosovo.Bouckaert 2004 59 Hashim Thaçi, the former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader, "rejected ethnic division of Kosovo and said independence is a pre-condition for stability in the region."https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-a-2004-03-18-27-independence-67342432/382370.html Independence Key to Stability in Kosovo, says Leading Politician Voice of America October 29, 2009 March 18, 2004 September 28, 2015 September 29, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150929013008/http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-a-2004-03-18-27-independence-67342432/382370.html live He has also said, "Kosovo, NATO and the West have not fought for Kosovo only for Albanians, nor for a Kosovo ruled by violence. Violence is not the way to solve problems, violence only creates problems."http://www.unmikonline.org/press/2004/mon/mar/lmm190304.pdf Thaçi calls upon citizens to stop protests and not forget the help of NATO (Zëri) March 19, 2004 September 28, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20050505095455/http://www.unmikonline.org/press/2004/mon/mar/lmm190304.pdf May 5, 2005 Kosovo Police established a special investigation team to handle cases related to the 2004 unrest.https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78837.htm#kosovo Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Serbia (includes Kosovo) US Department of State March 6, 2007 September 28, 2015 September 2, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200902233143/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78837.htm#kosovo live According to statistics released by the UNMIK in 2008, 242 people have been charged for the March violence and a further 157 for misdemeanors. International prosecutors and judges have dealt with cases involving serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder, incitement to national hatred and causing general danger with the rest being dealt by domestic courts. By April 2008, 301 had been convicted and 86 were handed prison sentences, the maximum of which was 16 years. By March 2010, 143 Kosovo Albanians were convicted, of which 67 received prison terms of over a year. Reactions in Serbia The events in Kosovo brought an immediate angry reaction on the streets of Serbia. On the evening of 17 March, crowds gathered in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš to demonstrate against the treatment of the Kosovo Serbs. Despite appeals for calm by Metropolitan Amfilohije, the 16th-century Bajrakli Mosque was set on fire. Islam-aga's Mosque in the southern city of Niš was also set on fire, while demonstrators chanted "Kill, kill Albanians!" When police arrived the mosque was already burning and some media reported that the police didn't move the crowd, so they blocked the fire fighters access to the mosque, leaving them unable to extinguish the fire.https://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/serbia1005/4.htm Dangerous Indifference: Violence against Minorities in Serbia: March 2004 Violence Against Albanians and Muslims www.hrw.org 2023-05-27 2018-02-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20180219121331/https://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/serbia1005/4.htm live Both buildings were extensively damaged but were saved from complete destruction by the intervention of police and firefighters. http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=280 F18 News KOSOVO & SERBIA Churches & mosques destroyed amid inter-ethnic violence 23 May 2006 30 January 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110130191332/http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=280 live Service Forum 1. 8. News Also properties of Muslim minorities, such as Goranis, Turks or Albanians were vandalized in Novi Sad and other cities throughout Serbia.http://hrw.org/reports/2005/serbia1005/4.htm Dangerous Indifference: Violence against Minorities in Serbia: March 2004 Violence Against Albanians and Muslims 15 February 2015 4 June 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150604123113/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/serbia1005/4.htm live Human Rights Watch has concluded that the Serbian state failed to prosecute violence in Novi Sad. The Serbian government publicly denounced the violence in Kosovo. Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica strongly criticized the failure of NATO and the UN to prevent the violence, and called for a state of emergency to be imposed on Kosovo. He gave a speech blaming organized Albanian separatists: "The events in northern Kosovo-Metohija reveal the true nature of Albanian separatism, its violent and terrorist nature ... [The government will] do all it can to stop the terror in Kosovo". https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3523916.stm BBC Media fan Kosovo flames 2004-03-18 2009-12-31 2005-11-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20051126110802/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3523916.stm live The Minister of Minority Rights of Serbia and Montenegro, Rasim Ljajić, himself a Muslim, said "What is now happening in Kosovo confirms two things: that this is a collapse of the international mission, and a total defeat of the international community." Nebojsa Čović, the Serbian government's chief negotiator on matters relating to Kosovo, was sent to Mitrovica on 18 March in a bid to calm the situation there. Serbian security forces also guarded the border between Serbia and Kosovo in a bid to prevent demonstrators and paramilitaries from entering the province to foment further unrest. The events were compared by Prime Minister Koštunica to ethnic cleansing.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3551571.stm BBC News Kosovo clashes 'ethnic cleansing' 20 March 2004 22 April 2010 18 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200518134221/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3551571.stm live The Serbs, represented by the "Union of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija", described the ordeal as "genocide" in a letter sent to the Serbian and Russian patriarchs, to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Serbian government, where, besides that, they quote the burning of seven villages during the World War II-German occupation to the "several hundreds" burnt "under the rule of the troops of Christian Europe and America" and according to which the "occupation of Kosovo surpasses all we had to sustain under fascism." The spared Serb villages are compared to "concentration camps" because of the missing freedom of movement, electricity and heating. According to the letter, after 1999 there were 8,500 homicides or disappearances of non-Albanian people with no single accomplice tried.Full text of the letter https://web.archive.org/web/20060927055347/http://www.pravoslavie.ru/news/060415154741 2006-09-27 in Russian, in the name of 120 000 Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija In 2011, seven years after the incident, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić spoke at the Wheaton College in Chicago, US: "In less than 72 hours, 35 churches and monasteries were set on fire, many of which date back to the 14th century or even further away in history, which represents an irretrievable loss for the mankind. Dozens of people were killed. Several thousand were wounded. Thousands of houses and shops were leveled to the ground. More than 4,000 Kosovo Serbs were expelled from their homes." Vuk Jeremić In Serbia the events were also called the March Pogrom.Anti-Serb programs in Kosovo https://web.archive.org/web/20131223195227/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/apr/9/20050409-102733-9741r/ 2013-12-23 , By The Washington TimesШест година од мартовског погрома https://web.archive.org/web/20100528031209/http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/ci/story/1/%D0%A1%D1%80%D0%B1%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0/570011/%D0%A8%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82+%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0+%D0%BE%D0%B4+%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3+%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0+.html 2010-05-28 RTS.rsMartovski pogrom https://web.archive.org/web/20120117034749/http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/teme/teme.97.html:tema-167-Martovski-pogrom 2012-01-17 Večernje novostihttp://pravoslavie.ru/news/51111.htm ЕПИСКОП ФЕОДОСИЙ ПРОТИВ ПЕРЕДАЧИ МОНАСТЫРЯ ПОД ОХРАНУ КОСОВСКОЙ ПОЛИЦЕЙСКОЙ СЛУЖБЫ 15 February 2015 19 March 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130319123724/http://pravoslavie.ru/news/51111.htm live International reaction KFOR troops closed Kosovo's borders with the remainder of Serbia and Montenegro and the UN suspended flights in and out of the province. NATO announced on 18 March that it would send another 1,000 troops, 750 of them from the United Kingdom, to reinforce the 18,500 troops already there.http://www.nato.int/shape/news/2004/03/i040318a.htm NATO deploys "prudent reinforcements" to Kosovo in response to violence NATO 23 May 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060529195314/http://www.nato.int/shape/news/2004/03/i040318a.htm 29 May 2006 dead The UN and European Union both appealed for calm, calling on local leaders to restrain their supporters. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged both sides to cooperate with the peacekeeping forces but pointedly reminded the Kosovo Albanians that they had a responsibility "to protect and promote the rights of all people within Kosovo, particularly its minorities".March 2024 An Austrian OSCE official called the events an orchestrated plan to drive out the remaining Serbs, while one anonymous UNMIK official reportedly referred to the event as Kosovo's Kristallnacht. The commander of NATO's South Flank, Admiral Gregory G. Johnson, said on 19 March that the violence verged on ethnic cleansing of Serbs by Albanians. On 20 March, Kosovo's UN administrator, Harri Holkeri, told journalists that "Maybe the very beginning was spontaneous but after the beginning certain extremist groups had an opportunity to orchestrate the situation and that is why we urgently are working to get those perpetrators into justice." https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3553837.stm BBC Kosovo clashes 'orchestrated' 2004-03-20 2009-12-31 2004-07-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20040722233620/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3553837.stm live KFOR and UNIMK were criticized for their inadequate response in protecting Serbs and other minorities from Albanian rioters.Ramet Sabrina P. Simkus Albert Listhaug Ola ivic and Uncivic Values in Kosovo: History, Politics, and Value Transformation 2015 Central European University Press 9789633860748 136 https://books.google.com/books?id=8f0OEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA136NATO, UN Accused of Failing in Kosovo https://www.dw.com/en/nato-un-accused-of-failing-in-kosovo/a-1277475 Agence France-Presse 27 July 2024 Human Rights Watch pointed specifically to the example of French peacekeepers in the village of Svinjare, accusing them of not helping besieged Serbs even though their main base was a few hundred metres away. According to Amnesty International, at least 27 people died—11 Albanians and 16 Serbs—and over 1,000 were injured while some 730 houses belonging to minorities, mostly Kosovo Serbs, as well as 36 Orthodox churches, monasteries and other religious and cultural sites were damaged or destroyed. In less than 48 hours, 4,100 minority community members were newly displaced (more than the total of 3,664 that had returned throughout 2003), of whom 82% were Serbs and the remaining 18% included Romani (and Ashkali) as well as an estimated 350 Albanians from the Serb-majority areas of Kosovska Mitrovica and Leposavić.Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo https://unmik.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/s-2004-348.pdf unmik.unmissions.org United Nations 1–6 30 April 2004 Denmark Denmark pledged to send an additional 100 peacekeepers to the region after the violence began.Kosovo clashes 'ethnic cleansing' BBC, March 20, 2004. Retrieved 2011-01-28. Germany Germany's Defence Minister Peter Struck said on 19 March that a further 600 peacekeepers were being sent to join German forces in Kosovo, with deployment to the region beginning on 20 March. France 1974 France pledged to send about 400 more troops immediately to the region after the violence began. Russia Russia and Serbia-Montenegro called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which condemned the violence. On 19 March, the Russian Duma passed a resolution (397 to 0) calling for the return of Serbia-Montenegro's troops. FR Yugoslavia Flag of Serbia (2004–2010).svg Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica described the attacks as "planned in advance and co-ordinated... this was an attempted pogrom and ethnic cleansing" against Kosovo's Serbs. UK The United Kingdom sent an additional 750 peacekeeping soldiers, which arrived in the region's capital Pristina within 24 hours of the first attacks, to reinforce British troops already on the ground. United States White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters the Bush administration called "on all groups to end the violence and refrain from violence."NATO rushes troops to Kosovo CNN, March 18, 2004. Retrieved 2011-01-28. The U.S. State Department also repeated its call to stop the violence, stating: "The escalating violence threatens the process of democratization and reconciliation in Kosovo and must end." See also Persecution of Serbs Destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo Destruction of Albanian heritage in Kosovo Gračanica bus bombing Stolen Kosovo, documentary 2008 unrest in Kosovo 2003 Goraždevac murders Kosovo Serb enclaves References Citations Sources Allan Stuart Zelizer Barbie Reporting war: Journalism in wartime 2004 New York, NY Routledge https://books.google.com/books?id=strajWS98sMC&pg=PR3 9780415339971 Herring Eric 2000 From Rambouillet to the Kosovo accords: NATO'S war against Serbia and its aftermath The International Journal of Human Rights 4 3–4 10.1080/13642980008406901 144283529 232–234 HLC Ethnic Violence in Kosovo, March 2004 Humanitarian Law Center http://www.hlc-rdc.org/uploads/editor/HLC%20Report%20-%20Ethnic%20Violence%20in%20Kosovo%20-%20March%202004.pdf 2011-07-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20120120020347/http://hlc-rdc.org/uploads/editor/HLC%20Report%20-%20Ethnic%20Violence%20in%20Kosovo%20-%20March%202004.pdf 2012-01-20 dead Human Rights Watch 25 July 2004 HRW Failure to Protect: Anti-Minority Violence in Kosovo, March 2004 July 25, 2004 Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/report/2004/07/25/failure-protect/anti-minority-violence-kosovo-march-2004 7 March 2018 25 February 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180225203923/https://www.hrw.org/report/2004/07/25/failure-protect/anti-minority-violence-kosovo-march-2004 live HRW Not on the Agenda: The Continuing Failure to Address Accountability in Kosovo Post-March 2004 May 2006 https://books.google.com/books?id=SNuO6AqPE8AC&pg=PA1 Human Rights Watch GGKEY:35DENT61C5T Bouckaert Peter Failure to Protect: Anti-minority Violence in Kosovo, March 2004 https://books.google.com/books?id=zdeulbfSK-YC 2004 Human Rights Watch Siobhán Wills Protecting Civilians: The Obligations of Peacekeepers https://books.google.com/books?id=QoqQ7kBrlSAC&pg=PA220 26 February 2009 Oxford University Press 978-0-19-953387-9 220– Jokić Branko The March Pogrom Kancelarija za Kosovo i Metohiju 2014 978-86-84431-13-6 Осам година од погрома на Космету March 17, 2012 RTS http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/ci/story/1/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0/1064598/%D0%9E%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BC+%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0+%D0%BE%D0%B4+%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0+%D0%BD%D0%B0+%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%83.html December 14, 2014 December 14, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141214234553/http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/ci/story/1/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0/1064598/%D0%9E%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BC+%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0+%D0%BE%D0%B4+%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0+%D0%BD%D0%B0+%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%83.html live Деценија од погрома на Космету RTV March 17, 2014 http://www.rtv.rs/sr_ci/drustvo/decenija-od-pogroma-na-kosmetu_470460.html December 14, 2014 December 14, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141214233636/http://www.rtv.rs/sr_ci/drustvo/decenija-od-pogroma-na-kosmetu_470460.html live Влада Републике Србије за Косово и Метохију Терор на Косову и Метохији March 2004 http://www.srbija.gov.rs/vesti/specijal.php?id=558 2014-12-14 2014-12-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20141215002933/http://www.srbija.gov.rs/vesti/specijal.php?id=558 live Влада Републике Србије за Косово и Метохију Мартовски погром 2004. године http://www.srbija.gov.rs/kosovo-metohija/?id=19988 2014-12-14 2014-12-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20141214233326/http://www.srbija.gov.rs/kosovo-metohija/?id=19988 live Влада Републике Србије за Косово и Метохију Светиње и културна добра уништени у мартовском погрому http://www.media.srbija.gov.rs/medsrp/dokumenti/unisteno_mart2004.pdf 2014-12-14 2016-02-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20160222054100/http://www.media.srbija.gov.rs/medsrp/dokumenti/unisteno_mart2004.pdf live Hronologija događaja (16 – 22. mart 2004) B92 Specijal: Nasilje na Kosovu B92 2004 http://www.b92.net/specijal/kosovo2004/ B92 Specijal 2004 2010-04-24 2012-11-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20121103200828/http://www.b92.net/specijal/kosovo2004/ live Yoshihara Susan Fink Kosovo 65–86 Reveron Derek S. Murer Jeffrey Stevenson Flashpoints in the War on Terrorism 2006 New York, NY Routledge 9781135449315 https://books.google.com/books?id=_q_2Qz92NEgC&q=Albanian+nationalism&pg=PT82 Goldman Minton F. Revolution and change in Central and Eastern Europe: Political, economic, and social challenges 1997 Armonk ME Sharpe https://books.google.com/books?id=aLZlX13le_wC&q=Albanian+nationalists&pg=PA307 9780765639011 https://web.archive.org/web/20171010131716/https://ericherring.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/eh-nato-war-on-serbia-00.pdf 2017-10-10 Rausch Colette Banar Elaine Combating serious crimes in postconflict societies: A handbook for policymakers and practitioners 2006 Washington, D.C. US Institute of Peace Press https://books.google.com/books?id=_ekkugfne9MC&q=2004+riots+Kosovo+nationalism&pg=PA246 9781929223954 Egleder Julia Peace Through Peace Media?: The Media Activities of the International Missions (KFOR and UNMIK) and Their Contribution to Peacebuilding in Kosovo from 1999 till 2008 2013 Münster LIT Verlag https://books.google.com/books?id=-UELTOTKxy0C&q=2004+riots+Kosovo+nationalism&pg=PA79 9783643903549 ERP KiM Info Dopunjeni i ispravljeni spisak uništenih i oštećenih pravoslavnih crkava i manastira na Kosovu u toku martovskog nasilja B92 Specijal 26 April 2004 B92 http://www.b92.net/specijal/kosovo2004/unistenecrkve.php 24 April 2010 10 January 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100110022548/http://www.b92.net/specijal/kosovo2004/unistenecrkve.php live Herscher Andrew Violence taking place: The architecture of the Kosovo conflict 2010 Stanford Stanford University Press https://books.google.com/books?id=pnSvZzDS0RYC 9780804769358 14– Perritt Henry H. Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside Story of an Insurgency 2008 Urbana University of Illinois Press https://books.google.com/books?id=SlHqkxGk4Q8C&q=Albanian+nationalism&pg=PA20 9780252092138 Koktsidis Pavlos Ioannis Dam Caspar Ten A success story? Analysing Albanian ethno-nationalist extremism in the Balkans https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/20589/EEQPavlosCasparJune2008.pdf?sequence=1 East European Quarterly 42 2 2008 161–190 2018-03-29 2019-10-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20191026102102/https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/20589/EEQPavlosCasparJune2008.pdf?sequence=1 live External links Digital Gallery of Photographs of the 2004 unrest in Kosovo Pictures of the violence and its aftermath https://web.archive.org/web/20150120151926/http://www.spc.rs/old/Vesti-2004/pogrom.html 2015-01-20 Christopher Deliso, "An Uncertain Future for the Serbian Refugees in Kosovo," Antiwar.com, April 7, 2004 Christopher Deliso, "The Internationals and the Mobs: Kosovo's Moment of Truth," Antiwar.com, April 15, 2004 The reaction in Serbia, where non-Serbian property was vandalized by Serbian mobs. SEE Security Monitor: Seven years since Albanian pogrom against Serbs in Kosovo Caglavica during the Kosovo unrest 2004 (eng. subtitles) Category:2004 riots Category:2004 in Kosovo 2004 Category:March 2004 in Europe Category:Ethnic riots Category:Anti-Serb sentiment Category:Persecution of Serbs Category:Persecution of Christians by Muslims Category:Persecution of Eastern Orthodox Christians Category:Pogroms Category:Sectarian violence Category:Albanian nationalism in Kosovo 2004 Category:Ethnic cleansing in Europe Category:Attacks in Europe in 2004 Category:Racially motivated violence in Europe Category:Riots and civil disorder in Europe Category:Church arson in Europe Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2004 Category:Arson in 2004 Category:2004 fires in Europe