The Chairman of the Government Commission for Missing Persons, Andin Hoti, stated that the location in Kozhle, near Novi Pazar, suspected to contain a mass grave, has so far been used as a waste dump.
According to him, this is one of the sites repeatedly discussed by the Working Group for Missing Persons from the war, alongside locations such as Batajnica and Kozhareva, for which Kosovo has continuously requested investigations.
Today, a team from Kosovo was delegated to the area to assess the terrain and determine the possibility of starting excavation work.
“This location began to be assessed last year, but the process was then delayed by the Serbian side. Only after continuous pressure, including international, did Serbia begin the evaluation process. It should be noted that this comes after a fire that affected the area for nearly two months. The Kosovo team today includes Mr. Kushtrim Gara, Mr. Ditor Haliti, and Mr. Valon Hyseni. ICRC and EULEX are also present on site, alongside the Serbian side. The evaluation is being conducted today, after which the possibility of starting excavation will be determined,” Hoti wrote on Facebook.
He emphasized that the site has been used as a waste dump since 1999, and reaching the suspected zone requires removing debris down to a depth of over 15 meters.
Hoti called on Serbia not to delay the process in Kozhle and to start work at other identified locations as well.
“What is particularly important is that Serbia should not turn Kozhle into an endless process, as happened with Kizhevak and Rudnica, delaying work for years and not providing precise coordinates. At the same time, we call on Serbia to start work at other locations for which commitments were made, such as Batajnica and 16 other locations mentioned in their report,” he wrote.
