Following the discovery of human remains during excavations in the Kalludra area of Zubin Potok, Erblin Ademi, the son of missing surgeon Adem Ademi, has reacted publicly. His father was among a group of 23 Albanian intellectuals who disappeared during the war in Kosovo.
In a public statement, Ademi said that for 27 years he had chosen not to speak publicly about his father’s case and the group of intellectuals, but recent developments compelled him to break his silence.
“Today is a day of mixed emotions for me and my family. On one hand, we feel immense pain because, after 27 years, we are once again facing the bitter reality that our father, together with 22 other people, was killed and disappeared during the last war in Kosovo,” Ademi wrote.
He recalled that his father was a respected surgeon and physician who dedicated his life to saving people and who, during the war, helped treat members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
According to him, the family had spent nearly three decades living with uncertainty, anxiety, and unanswered questions about his father’s fate. He added that, since the end of the war, they had received information suggesting that the group had been killed in the area where excavations are now taking place.
“Following the arrest of individuals suspected of being involved in this crime and the beginning of the excavations, it appears that we are finally getting closer to uncovering the truth. However, we expect all institutional and forensic procedures to be respected, with the official identification of the remains carried out professionally and with dignity,” Ademi wrote.
He described the case as a massacre and a grave crime, emphasizing that the victims’ families have endured 27 years of continuous psychological suffering, not knowing where their loved ones were buried.
“Today, we feel a certain sense of relief, not because the pain has disappeared, but because we may finally be able to end the uncertainty. Knowing where your loved one rests and honoring them with dignity is a fundamental human right that has been denied to us for nearly three decades,” he said.
In his statement, Erblin Ademi also called for justice, insisting that all perpetrators and those responsible for the crime must be held accountable.
“We remain determined that all perpetrators of this crime, all those who ordered it, participated in it, concealed this massacre, or protected those responsible, must face justice and receive the punishment they deserve. Only then can we say that a genuine step toward justice has been taken, because without justice there can be no true peace,” Ademi wrote.
At the end of his message, he stressed that he was speaking not only on behalf of his own family but also on behalf of all families who have spent 27 years searching for the fate of their loved ones, expressing hope that they too will one day learn the truth.
“My father will not be remembered only for the way he lost his life, but above all for the way he lived. He was a man who saved lives, a dedicated doctor, and a loving father. This is the legacy he left us, and the reason why we will always remember him with pride,” Erblin Ademi concluded.
