Identification of the missing, Kurti: Serbia committed genocide in Kosovo
Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has reacted after the identification of 11 missing persons in Bishtažin 26 years after the end of the war, saying that this is clear evidence that Serbia committed inhumane crimes and genocide against Kosovo Albanians.
After 26 years, Adem Gashi, Sahit Gashi, Bekim Hasani, Sheremet Ismajli, Mentor Myrtaj, Osman Fejza, Shkelzen Hajdaraj, Bekim Gashi, Sabedin Kryeziu, Mentor Kryeziu and Vehbi Halilaj have been found and identified in the mass grave in Bishtazhi.
After the massacre in Kralan, Serbian state forces abducted and buried them in mass graves, in an attempt to eliminate them, along with evidence of the crimes.
On April 2, 1999, they, along with hundreds of Albanian men and boys, were forcibly gathered by Serbian military and police forces in a field in Kralan, surrounded by tanks. There they were held under constant torture, without food or water for two days.
On April 4, 86 men and boys, including 11 minors, were detained. Since that day, none of them have been seen alive. Some of them were found near Lake Peruqac in Bajina Bashta, Serbia. After exhumation from Bishtazhini, Serbia seized the bodies, Kurti wrote on Facebook.
He emphasized that they stand together to prevent oblivion from covering up the atrocities that occurred during the war and united in the battle for truth and justice.
"In these days, and every other day, we share the pain and honor for the martyrs and martyrs of the nation in Kosovo. We stand by the families, with all possible support, on this difficult journey of pain and memory. May the memory of all our loved ones who sacrificed their lives for the freedom we enjoy be eternal," Kurti said.
We remind you that Kosovo continues to seek a just and lasting solution to the issue of missing persons, reports KosovaPress.
In January 2025, the Kosovo delegation held meetings in Brussels with EU representatives on the issue of missing persons. The Serbian side walked out of the joint commission talks.
There are still around 1.600 people missing in Kosovo since the end of the war.
