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UÇKHistory and Memory

17–18 March 2004 · The postwar period and legacy

The March 2004 violence

On 17–18 March 2004 riots spread across Kosovo, with attacks on Serb, Roma and Ashkali communities, Orthodox religious sites and UNMIK and KFOR property. According to the UN, 19 people died and 954 were injured.
Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.After June 1999PostwarCrimes
Roofless white-walled house with only chimneys standing, under a cloudy sky.
Homes of the Ashkali minority in Mitrovica burnt during the 2004 unrest. Photograph taken in July 2004.Photo: Aaron J. Buckley · 2004-07-13 · CC BY 2.0The identification of this image is not fully certain.

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This material describes violence, death or loss. Read it when you are ready; you can close it at any time.

Photographs

Long burnt-out monastery building with collapsed roof; white UN vehicles in front.
The residence of the Monastery of the Holy Archangels near Prizren, destroyed in March 2004. Photograph taken on 26 March 2004.Photo: JovanStojan · 2004-03-26 · CC BY 2.0The identification of this image is not fully certain.
White church with a collapsed wall and rubble scattered around it.
The Serbian Orthodox Church of St Elijah (also known as St Andrew's) near Podujevo, destroyed during the March 2004 unrest. Photograph taken on 23 March 2004.Photo: JovanStojan · 2004-03-23 · CC BY 2.0The identification of this image is not fully certain.
Old roofless stone church on a hillside with the town of Prizren below.
Remains of the 14th-century Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Saviour in Prizren, damaged in March 2004. Photograph uploaded in 2007.Photo: Majstor Mile at English Wikipedia · 2007 · Domen publik (Public domain)The identification of this image is not fully certain.

Sources

  1. [1]Sekretari i Përgjithshëm i OKB-së. Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (S/2004/348). 2004-04-30. https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2004/348&l=en&t=pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. [2]Human Rights Watch. Failure to Protect: Anti-Minority Violence in Kosovo, March 2004. 2004-07. https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. [3]Humanitarian Law Center. The March violence in Kosovo – a reminder of the facts. 2021-03-16. https://www.hlc-rdc.org/en/public-information/press-releases-informisanje/the-march-violence-in-kosovo-a-reminder-of-the-facts/. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Editorial status: Awaiting verificationDrafted from the cited sources; not yet fully reviewed by the editors.

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