The two people arrested on Monday on suspicion of war crimes against the civilian population in Zubin Potok are suspected of being linked to one of the most serious cases of missing persons during the Kosovo War – the abduction and disappearance of 23 Albanian intellectuals from Mitrovica on April 19, 1999.
Sources from the Special Prosecution Office told KosovaPress that the investigation is related to the disappearance of the group of intellectuals, among them the well-known doctor, Dr. Adem Ademi.
According to these sources, the two arrested suspects are believed to have knowledge of the case, while the investigation is still in its early stages.
The group of 23 intellectuals was stopped by Serbian forces on April 19, 1999, in the Zubin Potok area, while they were fleeing toward Montenegro. Nothing has been learned about their fate since that day, and they continue to be listed among those forcibly disappeared during the war.
For years, searches have been conducted in several areas between Mitrovica, Zubin Potok and Istog, where a mass grave is suspected to be located, but so far no site has been found that would shed light on their fate. There have also been calls for investigations and searches to be extended to the areas of Novi Pazar and Tutin in Serbia.
On the 25th anniversary of their disappearance, on April 19, 2024, then-Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti recalled the case, emphasizing that the group of intellectuals was last seen in the Zubin Potok area, where they were stopped by Yugoslav army forces.
“Among those missing are: Adem Ademi, Idriz Rreci, Demir Ahmeti, Fatmir Fazliu, Adem Beqiri, Sahit Berani, Hasan Dervari, Ali Haliti, Shaip Ujkani, Faton Ujkani, Mahit Ujkani, Nazim Ujkani, Shkelzen Ujkani, Tahir Meziu, Sali Meziu, Naser Meziu, Zymer Meziu, Selim Meziu, Shaqir Meziu, Samir Meziu, Bekim Meziu, Xhevdet Meziu and Xhemail Meziu,” Kurti wrote.
According to Kurti’s statement, after they were killed, their bodies were concealed in an attempt to cover up traces of the crime, while their families continue to seek the truth about the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.
