Even 25 years after the end of the war in Kosovo, the fate of 1,595 people disappeared by Serbian forces remains unknown. Excavations for new mass graves within Serbian territory continue to pose a challenge for Kosovo’s institutions. The Government Commission on Missing Persons has informed Radio Kosovo that excavations are expected to begin in several locations in Serbia in the coming months.
For information on mass graves, it is essential for Kosovo’s institutions to have access to Serbia’s archives. Kushtrim Gara, from the Government Commission on Missing Persons, told the “Focus” program on Radio Kosovo that last week, bones and clothing were found at the northern Mitrovica cemetery, known as the Muslim cemetery.
“The Kosovo Police have been notified, and together with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and in communication with the Government Commission, they arrived at the scene. It has been assessed that these remains are of forensic interest. This location has been on the agenda since the war,” he said.
Gara explained that excavations had been conducted at this location before, but due to a lack of information, excavations in large city cemeteries remain challenging. He noted that, to date, 60 individuals have been identified from these cemeteries. Additionally, there will be a return to a location between Prizren and Suhareka.
“During the war, it was a primary burial site where Serbian forces buried victims of several massacres in the surrounding areas of Suhareka and Prizren,” he added.
According to Kushtrim Gara, despite the May 2nd declaration last year on the issue of missing persons, which resulted from the Brussels dialogue, the Serbian delegation made commitments to grant access to the archives of the 37th Motorized Brigade of the Yugoslav army. However, this has not been implemented. Meanwhile, locations in Serbia remain a challenge. An assessment excavation is expected to be conducted this month at the Kozhlja location between Novi Pazar and Tutin. The landfill near the village of Kozhle in southwestern Serbia is one of the locations that, according to Kosovo authorities, may hide crimes committed by Serbian forces against Albanian civilians in Kosovo during the 1998/99 war.
