Police Detain Two Men Over KLA Flags in Lipljan

Kosovo Police say two men from the Lipljan municipality were detained over Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and Albanian flags found in the town. The first man was detained on the evening of August 10, shortly after the report reached the police station, and the second the next day. Two flags, one bearing the KLA insignia and one Albanian flag, had been hung on the churchyard fence.

The churchyard is in central Lipljan and houses the medieval church of the Presentation of the Most Holy Mother of God and the church of the Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus. According to the statement, the report was filed by the person responsible for the church.

“The Lipljan police station received a report from the person in charge last night, August 10, around 9 p.m.,” Kosovo Police said.

What followed, according to police, was the result of their own fieldwork on the ground:

“As a result of police work and engagement, D. M., a resident of Lipljan municipality, was identified and brought to the Lipljan police station.”

An investigative unit later determined that the man was under the influence of alcohol, with a reading of 0.61 per mille. The next day, a second man, identified only as E. M., also from Lipljan municipality, was brought to the same station and remains subject to further police proceedings. The flags were removed from the fence, and duty prosecutors from the Special and General departments were informed; on their instructions the case was forwarded along with an official report. Police have not specified which criminal offense is being investigated or whether anyone has been ordered held in custody.

Where the Two Accounts Diverge

The Diocese of Raska and Prizren said that same morning that a police patrol had caught the two men in the act of putting up the flags, detained them, and removed the flags, and announced it would file a criminal complaint once it obtained their identities. We reported on that announcement yesterday.

The police statement does not confirm that sequence. According to police, the report from the church caretaker came first, followed by the identification of the suspects, with no mention of catching them in the act. The discrepancy is not a minor detail, since it determines whether police are relying on a direct observation or on evidence gathered afterward.

Father Dragisa Jerinic gave a more detailed account to Radio KiM. He said he called the church caretaker to alert the police, that officers arrived quickly, and that they found two adult men who, in his account, had put up the flags and started filming themselves so they could post the footage. Church caretaker Jovica Miric told the same outlet that one man was putting up the flags while the other was taking them out of a car and filming.

Jerinic also offered an alleged motive. According to what he says an officer at the scene told him, the men were angry over a traffic ticket a Serbian officer from the Kosovo Police had written for one of them the day before. Police make no mention of that claim in their statement.

How Many Holy Sites Have Round-the-Clock Protection

In the same statement, Kosovo Police said they keep a separate file for every site of religious and cultural heritage. 24 locations have continuous, round-the-clock police presence, while the rest are covered by patrols according to areas of responsibility. The statement does not say which of the two categories the Lipljan churchyard falls into.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija issued a statement that same evening, calling the incident “a new attack on the holy sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church.”

Neither side has classified the offense so far. The Diocese maintains it will file a criminal complaint as soon as it obtains the identities of the detained men, while police say they remain committed to protecting sites of religious and cultural heritage.