The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has commemorated the 26th anniversary of the Poklek and Old Çikatovë massacres. She emphasized that the Poklek Massacre remains an indelible memory and a wound that cannot heal without justice.
“Justice is not revenge; it is the bare minimum we owe to the victims,” Osmani stated.
“Among the 54 victims in Poklek, 24 were children aged between six months and 17 years. They were brutally murdered and then burned by the forces of the genocidal Serbian regime, whose goal was extermination. One of the victims was Liria, a baby just six months old, bearing a name that symbolized an ideal she never lived to see. She never got to enjoy freedom. But her name remains a legacy for all of us. So do the names of the 23 victims in Old Çikatovë.
Today, it is not enough just to remember them. We are obligated to demand justice—not only for Liria but for every murdered child, for every extinguished family. Justice is not revenge—it is the least we owe them. It is our responsibility to ensure that this crime is not buried under the dust of forgetfulness or silence. We must not stop until justice prevails. Because without it, without the truth being told and acknowledged, without accountability for crimes, there can be no lasting peace,” reads the statement posted on the Presidency’s Facebook page.
