New Attack on SPC Property: Unknown Perpetrator Enters Church Yard in Lipljan and Steals Church Flag

The Diocese of Raška and Prizren of the Serbian Orthodox Church strongly condemns the vandalistic act of removing the flag of the Serbian Orthodox Church from the bell tower of the Church of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Lipljan. The attack occurred last night at around 6:00 p.m. According to surveillance camera footage, a masked individual entered the church courtyard and forcibly removed the flag, which had been placed only the day before on the occasion of the church feast.

This act represents not only an attack on Church property but also a form of pressure and intimidation against the remaining Orthodox Christians living in Lipljan, as well as a clear indication of hostile intent toward the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Serbian Orthodox Church has reported the attack to the Kosovo Police and hopes that, unlike previous cases, the perpetrator will be identified and punished, and that this criminal act will be classified as a serious offense with elements of religious hatred and intolerance.

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The same incident occurred in June 2023. As the perpetrator at that time was neither identified nor adequately punished, this further deepens the concern of the faithful and undermines the sense of security in a community where today only a few hundred Serbs remain, compared to some 6,000 prior to 1999. A particular problem is the attitude of Kosovo institutions toward such incidents, as most perpetrators either remain unpunished or receive merely symbolic penalties, while the legal qualification of these acts by the Kosovo police and judiciary conceals their gravity and the true motives behind them. In this way, Kosovo institutions not only obscure the real scale of interreligious and interethnic attacks against the Serbian Orthodox community but also send a message that such acts carry no real consequences for the perpetrators. This, in turn, encourages the most extreme nationalist elements within Albanian society to continue with such attacks.

It has been repeatedly demonstrated that Kosovo institutions lack the will to enforce their own laws and to protect the Serbian Orthodox Church and its faithful. The passivity of these institutions in matters concerning the protection of Orthodox Christians further fuels attacks and violations of the rights that the Serbian Orthodox Church, like any other religious community, is entitled to enjoy.

For these reasons, the Diocese of Raška and Prizren also appeals to the international community to become fully engaged, alongside condemning this attack, in addressing the overall status and security of the Serbian Orthodox Church. As daily events on the ground continue to show, only through a clearly defined status that does not depend on inadequate actions and the failure of Kosovo institutions to provide protection can the right of the Serbian Orthodox Church to survival and to a peaceful life be guaranteed.