Andin Hoti, Chairman of the Government Commission for Missing Persons, has accused Serbia of continuing to politicize and criminalize the issue of persons missing from the Kosovo war.
According to him, the Serbian side has not only refused twice to participate in meetings of the Joint Commission but is now also seeking changes to the Terms of Reference (ToR), which were officially approved in December 2024.
“Serbia continues to criminalize and politicize the issue of missing persons.
Officially, Serbia is now avoiding the implementation of the Joint Commission by demanding changes to the ToR.
In December 2024, as widely known, the Terms of Reference of the Joint Commission on Missing Persons were officially approved.
After the first failure on January 15, 2025, the Serbian side again refused to attend the meeting convened by Mr. Sorensen on September 11, 2025.
This time with a new excuse: they do not accept the agreement they themselves approved in December 2024 and are now requesting changes to the ToR. Such tendencies to avoid implementation of agreements and deliberately circumvent access to archives can be described as nothing else: the crime is being compounded by Serbia.”
The Joint Commission is tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Brussels Declaration on Missing Persons and, as a mechanism, is also responsible for overseeing access to archives and commitments regarding access to Serbian territory, including suspected mass grave sites.
Refusal to participate in this mechanism denies the victims’ rights and directly obstructs the search, identification, and return of missing persons.
“We call on the European Union and our international partners to intervene and enable the implementation of agreements that were approved in their presence and with their consent,” Hoti wrote.
