FOTO: Eparhija kamioni u zaštićenoj zoni Visokih DečanaThe Diocese of Raška-Prizren says heavy trucks and construction machinery have once again been deployed along the road route linked to the long-disputed Decani–Plav road, approximately two kilometers west of the Visoki Decani Monastery. According to the Diocese, the works go beyond routine road maintenance, the legally required procedure has not been followed, and the 2020 agreement to build a bypass outside the monastery’s Special Protective Zone has remained unimplemented for six years.
This is the Diocese’s second public statement in less than 24 hours. Over the past week, it has repeatedly raised concerns about the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the protection of its religious sites, and the legal regime governing Special Protective Zones in Kosovo.
Heavy machinery on the ground?
In a statement issued today, the Diocese said road works had resumed inside the Special Protective Zone of Visoki Decani Monastery, on the existing road alignment associated with the controversial Decani–Plav transit road project.
According to the Diocese, monks visited the site and found heavy trucks transporting crushed stone, while construction machinery was spreading and leveling the material along the road.
„The nature and scale of the observed activities exceed ordinary and limited road maintenance and bear the characteristics of construction, reconstruction, or substantial upgrading of road infrastructure within the protected area,“ the Diocese stated.
„No notification, documentation, or Church consent“
The Diocese says neither the monastery nor Church authorities were informed in advance about the works.
It further claims that no project documentation was submitted, no explanation was provided regarding the purpose, scope, or legal basis of the works, and that the consent of the Serbian Orthodox Church—required under Kosovo’s Law on Special Protective Zones—was never requested.
The Diocese also says it is unaware of any procedure being initiated before the Implementation and Monitoring Council, the joint body established under the law to resolve disputes concerning Special Protective Zones.
It therefore called on the Kosovo Police and other competent authorities to establish who ordered and authorized the works, examine their legal basis, and suspend the activities.
Diocese cites three provisions of the law
Referring to Kosovo’s Law No. 03/L-039 on Special Protective Zones, the Diocese argues that:
Article 7 establishes the Special Protective Zone surrounding Visoki Decani Monastery;
Article 5 prohibits the construction of transit roads through rural Special Protective Zones;
Article 6 requires prior consent from the Serbian Orthodox Church before road construction or reconstruction may take place within such protected areas.
Should no agreement be reached, the matter, the Diocese notes, must be referred to the Implementation and Monitoring Council.
„The legal situation is therefore clear regardless of how these works may be formally presented,“ the statement says.
According to the Diocese, if the current activities are part of the Decani–Plav transit road project, they would be prohibited by law. Even if presented merely as improvements to an existing local road, they would still require prior consultation with—and the consent of—the Church.
Previous attempts and the 2020 agreement
The Diocese recalls that similar construction attempts inside the Special Protective Zone took place in 2018 and again in 2020, but were halted following strong reactions from the international community.
In November 2020, the Implementation and Monitoring Council reached an agreement under which:
the international Decani–Plav transit road would be rerouted outside the Special Protective Zone;
the existing road within the protected area would be rehabilitated exclusively as a local road serving nearby residents.
The agreement was facilitated by then Italian Ambassador Nicola Orlando, with technical support from then KFOR Commander Michele Risi, and was welcomed by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy.
At the time, then-Abbot Sava Janjić also endorsed the compromise, stressing that it would protect the monastery while allowing infrastructure improvements for local communities.
However, the Diocese now says that the agreement has never been fully implemented and that it did not authorize unilateral works or the gradual transformation of the local road into a transit route.
„We are not against development“
The Diocese emphasizes that neither it nor Visoki Decani Monastery opposes better transport links or the economic development of the municipality.
„Our concern is not development as such, but the renewed commencement of works within a legally protected area without legal grounds, consultation, or the procedures prescribed by law,“ it said.
The Diocese warned that such actions undermine the effectiveness of the Law on Special Protective Zones, weaken confidence in institutions, and risk creating irreversible facts on the ground.
Calls for international attention
The Diocese has called on the European Union, the OSCE, and KFOR to examine the case carefully and help preserve both the legal protection mechanism and the commitments reached in previous agreements.
„The monastery’s special legal protection must not remain merely a formal declaration. It must be consistently implemented in practice, without exceptions and without unilateral interpretations,“ the statement concludes.
KFOR still provides direct protection
Visoki Decani remains the only religious site in Kosovo still under direct KFOR protection.
The monastery has been guarded by NATO-led peacekeepers since 1999 and has been the target of several armed attacks in the post-war period.
Earlier this month, the Diocese argued that Kosovo Police has not yet gained sufficient trust or demonstrated the capacity to assume responsibility for the monastery’s security. It also cited reports from pilgrims claiming they had been stopped, questioned, and searched by police after leaving the KFOR-protected zone.
Only a day before the latest statement, NATO Joint Force Command Naples Commander Admiral George M. Wycoff visited Visoki Decani together with KFOR Commander Major General Enrico Barduani’s successor, Major General Özkan Ulutaş. During the visit, Archimandrite Sava Janjić briefed the delegation on the security situation of the Serbian Orthodox Church and stressed the importance of continued protection for Visoki Decani and other Serbian Orthodox holy sites in Kosovo.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
