Goraždevac

Goraždevac (Serbian Cyrillic: Гораждевац, Albanian: Gorazhdevc or Kastrat/Kastrati) is a village near the city of Peja in Kosovo. It has been inhabited since at least the thirteenth century, when it was mentioned in the chrysobull of Stefan Nemanja (or his son, Stefan the First-Crowned).

Goraždevac
Гораждевац
Village
Goraždevac is located in Kosovo
Goraždevac
Goraždevac
Location in Kosovo
Coordinates: 42°38′00″N 20°22′00″E
Location Kosovo
DistrictPeja
MunicipalityPeja
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total570
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

History

During World War II, 47 Serbs and Montenegrins were killed in the village in 1941 by Albanian paramilitaries.[2] As a Serb-inhabited enclave in a heavily Albanian-inhabited region of western Kosovo, Goraždevac has been the scene of ethnic tensions between the two communities. It was the scene of attacks by the guerilla group, the Kosovo Liberation Army, in the late 1990s as they fought the Serb military forces, accused of committing atrocities against the Albanian population. After the end of the Kosovo War in June 1999, many of its population of around 2,000 Serbs fled attacks by Albanian militants, though some later returned. The population today is said to be around 850 people.

In June 2003, Veselin Besović from Goraždevac was sentenced by an international court in Peja to serve seven years in prison for crimes allegedly committed in the villages of Čuska and Zahać.[3] He has appealed.[4]

According to the 2011 census in Kosovo, the village had 570 people, of whom 255 were Serbs (44.7%), 148 were Albanians (25.9%), 139 Roma and Egyptians (24.4%), 26 Bosniaks (4.6%) and 2 others.[5] The census was partially boycotted by the Serb population.[6]

2003 Goraždevac murders
Main article: 2003 Goraždevac murders

Goraždevac, a village in Kosovo, has faced repeated attacks from unidentified assailants since the Kosovo War ended. The village is one of several Kosovo Serb enclaves that receive continuous protection from KFOR troops. In August 2003, tragedy struck as a 19-year-old Serbian teenager and a 12-year-old boy lost their lives, and four other children sustained injuries from gunfire while swimming in the Bistrica near Goraždevac. This attack occurred shortly before 200 Kosovo Serb refugees were set to return to their homes. However, the return plans were abruptly halted due to the incident. Although the blame was initially placed on Albanians, the actual culprits remain unidentified.[7][8][9][10]

See also

References
  1. 2011 Kosovo Census results
  2. Antonijević, Nenad (2009). Албански злочини над Србима на Косову и Метохији у Другом светском рату, документа (PDF). Muzej žrtava genocida. p. 40. ISBN 9788690632992.
  3. Concerns in Europe and Central Asia: January to June 2003 (Amnesty International) Archived 2006-11-29 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Prisoners in Kosovo start hunger strike in protest at alleged delays: UN mission
  5. "Rekos2011". Archived from the original on 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
  6. "ECMI: Minority figures in Kosovo census to be used with reservations". Archived from the original on 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2014-12-15.
  7. "Two Serbs die in Kosovo attack". BBC. 13 August 2003. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  8. "New Violence Feared in Kosovo After Death of 2 Serbian Youths". The New York Times. 15 August 2003. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  9. "Unsolved Crimes Add to Plight of Serbs in Kosovo". The New York Times. 15 August 2003. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  10. "UN acts over Kosovo killings". BBC. 14 August 2003. Retrieved 21 October 2012.


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