Fourth anniversary of Kosovo pogroms 17 March 2008 | 09:28 | Source: B92, Beta KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- 266 people were charged following the violent clashes in Kosovo in March 2004 when 19 people lost their lives. The Devic monastery, built in the 14th century, was burned in the riots (Photo: spc.yu) The Devic monastery, built in the 14th century, was burned in the riots (Photo: spc.yu) Over 4,000 Serbs fled to central Serbia. Altogether, since 1999, close to 200,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians have been driven out. According to Kosovo Police Service (KPS) data, some 900 people were injured during those demonstrations, over 800 houses and 35 churches and monasteries were destroyed, and several thousand Serbs left their homes. Among the injured were 63 KFOR troops and 123 members of the international and Kosovo police. During the two-day unrest, 400 incidents, 629 cases of arson, and 12 bomb blasts were recorded. According to police information, 1383 criminal complaints were filed, and 284 people were arrested and brought before the courts. Four years on, investigations into those events are still open. The unrest started on March 15, with the shooting of Serb Jovica Ivic, 18, in Caglavica. Clashes broke out on March 17, a day after UNMIK police found the bodies of two Albanian children in the Ibar river near the village of Cabar in northern Kosovo. Their deaths, which Albanians blamed the Serbs for, sparked massive demonstrations that spread from southern Mitrovica to other parts of Kosovo.
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