Yesterday brought new developments in the investigations into mass graves in the municipality of Zubin Potok. Kosovo authorities arrested a person suspected of war crimes against the civilian population and, at the same time, identified a new location where the remains of people missing during the last war in Kosovo are believed to be located.
The Kosovo Police announced that the Directorate for the Investigation of War Crimes, following an order from the Special Prosecutor’s Office, arrested a suspect identified by the initials J.R. The arrest was carried out as part of the ongoing investigations into the case in Zubin Potok and marks the third arrest connected to this operation.
At the same time, authorities identified a new location in the village of Jabuka in Zubin Potok, only around 10 kilometers from the site where excavations have been taking place for days in Kalludër i Vogël. The Special Prosecutor’s Office announced that it will request authorization from the Basic Court in Pristina to carry out exhumations and forensic examinations at this location.
Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Sveçla confirmed the developments, stating that after the identification of the first location in Kalludër, another suspected mass grave has now been discovered in Jabuka. He thanked the Kosovo Police, the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, the Institute of Forensic Medicine, and the Special Prosecutor’s Office for their work, while accusing Serbia of continuing to refuse to clarify the fate of missing persons and calling on international partners to condemn this approach.
The acting president, Albulena Haxhiu, also reacted to the developments, saying that the suspicions of a second mass grave serve as a painful reminder of crimes committed during the war and as evidence that justice has still not been fully achieved. She expressed solidarity with the families who have been waiting for more than two decades to learn the fate of their loved ones.
These developments come as excavations in Kalludër i Vogël have continued for several days following a nearly two-year investigation. Authorities have stated that it is still too early to determine the identity of the discovered remains, as this can only be established through DNA analysis. However, Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that there is a possibility that the remains belong to 23 Albanians who disappeared in April 1999, known as the group of intellectuals.
According to the Institute for Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo, 1,577 people remain officially listed as missing from the 1998–1999 war, while institutions have announced that searches and investigations will continue at other suspected locations.
