Office for Kosovo and Metohija: Kidnapping of Belacevac miners was prelude to mass violence against Serbs

Former KLA members seen in Pristina; Photo: Tanjug/AP/Visar Kryeziu

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated today that the kidnapping of nine Belacevac miners, carried out by the terrorists from the so-called "Kosovo Liberation Army" (KLA) on this day in 1998, was a prelude to mass violence against Serbs and other non-Albanian civilians, which escalated during the armed conflicts in Kosovo and Metohija, and unfortunately, in a changed form, continues to this day.

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The Office commemorated the anniversary of this crime by reminding that the exact fate of the victims has never been established, which prolongs the suffering of their families indefinitely.

"At the time, international investigative bodies did not make a sufficient effort to shed light on this and many other crimes committed by terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija, while Pristina is not only not trying to face this dark page of history, but continues to build an ideology of hatred on it, along with a political system where Serbs and everything that is Serb are not wanted," the statement stressed.

It is added that today in Kosovo and Metohija, respectable Serbs are being arrested on false charges, while the real criminals from Pristina have not only never been held accountable for their crimes, but are celebrated as heroes by the separatists.

"A system built on crimes has no longevity, and until the fate of the kidnapped and missing persons is clarified, the prerequisites to establish trust between ethnicities and create a society in which human rights will be an inviolable value, will not be achieved," the statement said.

The Office stressed that as far as Serbia is concerned, there is no statute of limitations for this and many other crimes committed in Kosovo and Metohija, and those responsible will be served justice and deserved punishment.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)