On 13 August 2003 four ethnic

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...

s were wounded and two killed as unknown assailants shot with automatic rifles at a group of mostly children who played and swam by a river in the village of

Goraždevac Goraždevac ( sr-Cyrl, Гораждевац, sq, Gorazhdevc or Kastrat/Kastrati) is a village near the city of Peja in Kosovo. It has been inhabited since at least the thirteenth century, when it was mentioned in the chrysobull of Stefan Nemanja ( ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Eur ...

Event

A large group of Serb children from the Serb enclave of Goraždevac, close to

Peja Peja (Indefinite Albanian form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipality and Peja District. It is situated in the region of Rugova on the eastern section of the Accursed Mounta ...

, gathered on the banks of the river Bistrica. As the children played and swam in the river, automatic rifle shots were fired from the Albanian village of Zahač. 19-year-old Ivan Jovović died instantly, while 13-year-old Pantelija Dakić later died in the hospital. 11-year old Marko Bogićević and 15-year-old Bogdan Bukumirović were seriously injured, while Dragana Srbljak and Đorđe Ugrenović suffered from minor injuries. The killings were reportedly timed to coincide with the return of over 200 Serb refugees into the town.

Aftermath

Two days after the attack, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Živković attended the funeral service for the two killed teens and the Serbian government declared 15 August a day of national mourning. Moreover, it was immediately condemned by the

UNMIK The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is the officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo. The UNMIK describes its mandate as being to "help the United Nations Security Council achieve an overall ...

, KFOR,

Kosovo Albanian The Albanians of Kosovo ( sq, Shqiptarët e Kosovës, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-g ...

officials, the EU, Russia, France and the United States. The perpetrators have still not been identified. In January 2013, during a period of unrest throughout Kosovo, a memorial to the victims was attacked by vandals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorazdevac murders 2003 crimes in Kosovo 2000s murders in Kosovo 2003 murders in Europe August 2003 crimes August 2003 events in Europe Anti-Serbian sentiment Incidents of violence against boys Male murder victims Massacres in Kosovo Murdered Kosovan children Persecution of Serbs Unsolved murders in Europe Violence against children Peja

Event

Aftermath

See also

References