Vandalism of memorial to missing journalists condemned

BELGRADE - The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and the Association of Journalists of Kosovo-Metohija (DNKiM) condemned on Friday the latest vandalism of the memorial to the missing journalists in KiM, and urged the international and Kosovo institutions to launch an investigation immediately.

The two journalists' associations called on the authorities to protect the memorial, and to finally initiate the procedures required to find and punish the kidnappers and murderers of journalists and media professionals in KiM. According to UNS' records, there were nine such victims.

The memorial to disappeared journalists Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic, which was set up by UNS and DNKiM near Orahovac on August 21st this year, has been vandalized and removed. The memorial plaque carries an inscription in Serbian and Albanian, reading: "On August 21st 1998, the journalists went missing here. We are looking for them."

According to UNS and DNKiM, the municipal authorities of Orahovac and the Kosovo police were informed in advance about the setting up of the memorial, but they have done nothing to protect it.

Slavuj and Perenic went missing on their way to the monastery of Zociste, where they wanted to do a report on the return of the kidnapped monks. They accidentally took a wrong turn and found themselves in the territory that was controlled by the Kosovo Liberation Army. Their car, a blue Zastava 128, has never been found.