UNMIK/PR/106
PRISTINA--The Kosovo Transitional Council today condemned the brutal attack early Monday morning on a Serb family in which a man was shot to death and his wife and mother-in-law beaten by a crowd celebrating a Kosovar Albanian holiday.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, issued the statement today on behalf of the highest-level advisory body of Kosovars, as he laid a bouquet of flowers at the scene of the attack, which took place on a major avenue in Pristina's Dardania neighborhood.
"The Kosovo Transitonal Council strongly condemns the murder of a Kosovo Serb citizen and the wounding of his wife and mother-in-law on the night of 28 November by a mob in Pristina. This is a grave misuse of the liberty awarded to the people of Kosovo by UNMIK and KFOR, to peacefully celebrate the Albanian 'Flag Day,'" the statement read.
"The Kosovo Transitional Council calls again on all people of Kosovo to have tolerance for each other and thus lay the foundations for the establishment of a genuine multi-ethnic society."
According to UNMIK Police, the family had been en route to the hospital shortly after midnight, seeking treatment for the mother-in-law, who had also been assaulted a month ago, reportedly due to her ethnicity. The three Serbs were pulled from the car. The man was shot, the two women assaulted and the car turned over and burned. UNMIK Police and KFOR tried to approach the scene but were prevented from intervening on behalf of the victims by the crowd.
UNMIK police are continuing their investigation. They say that both women have been transported to a hospital in Nis, Serbia. Due to their injuries, police say, they will not be able to speak for several days
