BELGRADE HOLDS MEMORIAL FOR SERBS KILLED IN ORAHOVAC 28 YEARS AGO

BELGRADE, JULY 18 /SRNA/ – A memorial service was held at the Church of St. Procopius at Belgrade's Orlovača Cemetery to mark the 28th anniversary of the mass abductions, expulsions and killings of Serbs in the Orahovac area of Kosovo and Metohija.

The service was officiated by Bishop Ilarion of Novo Brdo, vicar bishop, who said that the sacrifice of the innocent Serb victims would never be forgotten. Bishop Ilarion pointed out that many displaced Serbs, whose property was destroyed, have been unable to return to their homes for decades. A memorial service was also held in Velika Hoča, at the monument in the churchyard of the Church of St. John, marking the Day of Remembrance for the mass abduction of 84 Serbs from the Orahovac municipality. Between May 12, 1998, and October 12, 2000, members of the Kosovo Liberation Army /KLA/, Albanian terrorist organization, abducted and killed 84 Serbs in the Orahovac municipality. During armed attacks in July 1998, around 100 Serb civilians were abducted within just a few days, while Serbs were expelled from the villages of Retimlje, Opteruša and other settlements. A group of 35 captured Serbs, together with the monks of the Monastery of the Holy Unmercenary Healers in Zočište, was released only on July 22 through the mediation of international representatives. Crimes against Serbs continued during the NATO bombing campaign and after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, through abductions, killings, expulsions and the destruction of Serb property.