Today marks the remembrance of Pashke Krasniqi Markaj, who on May 27, 2003, set herself on fire after the remains of her two sons were returned—sons who had been killed and forcibly disappeared during the war in Kosovo.
Her sons, Gjovalin and Milan Markaj, were among 374 people killed on April 27, 1999, during the massacre carried out by Serbia forces in the villages of Mejë and Korenicë in Gjakova.
They were missing for years until 2003, when their remains were discovered in a mass grave in Batajnica, Serbia.
On May 24, 2003, Gjovalin and Milan were reburied in their hometown.
Just three days later, after completing the traditional mourning ceremonies, their mother took her own life by self-immolation, overwhelmed by grief and the unbearable loss of her children.
