What happened: Unknown perpetrators broke almost all of the crosses that were a part of the
Christian cemetery in the village Lokveni. A part of the local community noted the incident when a
group of villagers went to celebrate a religious holiday.
Date, time and location of the incident: March 2nd, early morning hours, village of Lokveni, Krushevo.
Source of information: The national media TV Telma.
Victim(s) involved: Except the material damage, there were no direct victims in this incident.
Type of the crime(s): Damaging of other’s property Art. 243 CCRM, Vandalizing graves, Art. 400 CCRM.
Perpetrator(s): Unknown.
Brief description of incident with bias indicators: In this incident, the bias motive is the religious
affiliation and religious persuasion, and the bias indicators are:
1. Victim perception – From the statements made for the media, it can easily be derived that the indirect
victims – the Christian population in the village of Lokveni, perceive the incident as bias motivated.
2. Location and timing – The incident occurred during a religious holiday and at a location of religious
significance.
Status of the case: Under investigation, criminal charges pressed.
Response of local authorities: The Ministry of Interior stated via Answer upon a Request for
information of public character sent by the Committee informed that the Ministry filed a criminal
charge against an unknown perpetrator for the act of Vandalizing graves, Art. 400 CCRM. However,
there has been no answer as to the fact that indicates to the possible motive of the crime.
Impact on the victim(s) and the community: This type of incidents brings into question the general safety
situation in the country and the cohabitation between the different ethnic communities in the society.
