Masked individuals desecrated the Serbian Orthodox Church in Orahovac overnight, removing the church’s official flag from the bell tower and a nearby candelabrum.
The incident, captured on security cameras, took place between 12:30 a.m. and 12:50 a.m. in the courtyard of the Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin.
Local priest Milan Stanojević discovered the damage in the morning and reported the case to authorities.
Kosovo Police conducted an on-site investigation and took statements, and the priest received a promise that the perpetrators would be found.
Raška-Prizren Diocese Releases Footage
The Raška-Prizren Diocese condemned the act, publishing video footage from security cameras that clearly showed an unknown individual with a balaclava approaching the church at around 12:36 a.m. and then entering the church courtyard at 12:45 a.m. to tear down the official Serbian Orthodox Church flag from the bell tower.
The Diocese confirmed that a second flag, located near the candle stand, had also been stolen. Expressing grave concern, church officials emphasized that the flags in question were not political symbols but strictly religious ones.
„The incident, which was clearly captured on camera, represents a direct desecration of church symbols and property… This act is part of a disturbing pattern of systematic and continuous violations of religious rights and freedoms of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Orthodox Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. It also proves that basic conditions for the free and dignified practice of Orthodox faith, as well as a normal life for our believers, still do not exist in Kosovo and Metohija,“ the Diocese stated.
The Diocese has pledged to formally report the incident to relevant international institutions and organizations. Furthermore, they emphasized their commitment to continuously documenting and reporting all forms of religious rights violations against the Serbian Orthodox Church and its followers in Kosovo.
Political and Religious Intolerance
The Office for Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the Serbian List party, have denounced the act as a direct consequence of what they describe as an „anti-Serbian“ climate fostered by the authorities in Pristina.
In a statement, the Office emphasized that such incidents reflect deep-seated ethnic and religious intolerance, accusing the Kosovo administration of failing to promote reconciliation and instead enabling frequent provocations against the Serbian community and the Serbian Orthodox Church.
„The policy of desecration, destruction, and arson against all things Serbian remains alive in Pristina and stands as evidence of the impossible conditions for Serbs to live in Kosovo and Metohija,“ the Office declared.
They also pointed out the significance of the church in Orahovac, where the Serbian population is already critically small, stating that the attack was an attempt to intimidate and drive out the remaining Serbs in the area.
Serbian List: „A Deliberate Provocation“
Zlatan Elek, president of the Serbian List, also condemned the incident, noting that the attack came just days after false claims in Albanian media regarding the ownership of Serbian monasteries in Kosovo.
Calling on the international community to react swiftly, Elek warned that the continued silence of international representatives in Kosovo could be interpreted as tacit approval of such acts.
„The multiethnic and multireligious society they claim to support is disappearing before their very eyes under the pressure of extremists, and yet they remain silent. Their duty and responsibility are to speak out and unequivocally condemn these attacks, rather than remain passive observers,“ he urged.
„Extremist circles in Pristina are divided into two groups: those who seek to Albanize our sacred sites and those who want to destroy them entirely,“ Elek warned.
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