Raška‑Prizren Diocese: Albanian and KLA flags hung on church fence in Lipjan, Kosovo
Two suspects were detained and the flags removed; the diocese says it will file criminal charges and seeks an investigation into possible ethnic and religious provocation.
The Raška‑Prizren Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church condemned an incident in Lipjan, Kosovo, where two people allegedly hung a Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) flag and a flag of the Republic of Albania on the fence of a church yard that contains two Orthodox churches.
Police detained two people and removed the flags
The diocese said the episode took place in the evening hours of 10 August, when Kosovo Police officers found the two individuals attaching the flags. The police detained the suspects and removed the flags from the church property.
The affected religious sites are the medieval Church of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos from the 14th century and the church dedicated to the holy martyrs Flor and Lavr, the diocese noted.
According to the statement, the Raška‑Prizren Diocese plans to file a criminal complaint with the competent prosecutor’s office after it receives official information on the identities of the detained persons. The diocese urged that the case not be treated merely as an ordinary misdemeanor or an act of vandalism but that investigators determine whether the act amounted to incitement of ethnic and religious hatred, intimidation of the remaining Serb population, or deliberate desecration of protected religious and cultural heritage.
The diocese also called on the remaining Serbs in Lipjan and the surrounding area to remain calm and dignified and not to give in to provocations. "We will not answer hatred with hatred, but we will not remain silent in the face of injustice," the diocese said.
The church leadership said it will follow the investigation closely and proceed with legal steps once identities are confirmed.
Photo: Канцеларија за Косово и Метохија на Српската влада / Танјуг
