25 years ago, in Polac of Drenica, 78 unarmed civilians and 8 KLA fighters were killed. Seven residents of this village are still missing as a result of Serbia’s efforts to hide its crimes. The authorities of this state continue to refuse cooperation in clarifying their fate.
Today, the Minister of Culture, Hajrulla Çeku, Deputy Minister of Interior, Bardhyl Dobra, MP Enver Dugolli, Organizational Secretary Alim Rama, and activists from Our Centers Movement paid tributes at the cemetery complex in Polac of Drenica, in memory of the martyrs and national heroes.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Albin Kurti remembered this event by emphasizing the importance of justice for this case for the family, society, and our entire nation.
“Before the war in Kosovo started, around 450 families with over 4000 residents, all Albanians, lived in the village of Polac in the municipality of Skenderaj. However, during the Serbian army and police offensives in the summer of 1998 over the villages of Drenica, and especially during the criminal campaigns of the Serbian armed forces, in Polac 86 people were killed: 78 unarmed civilian victims and 8 martyrs from the Kosovo Liberation Army. Among those killed in Polac, 12 persons were from Kerolli neighborhood, 11 from Kabashi neighborhood, 11 from Veliu neighborhood, 11 from Xani neighborhood, 8 from Koci neighborhood, 4 from Aliuka neighborhood, 3 from Hoti neighborhood, and from other neighborhoods,” he wrote.
“After the murderous campaigns carried out over the Albanians of Kosovo, Serbia’s greatest concern was hiding these crimes and erasing the traces, mainly aimed through the disappearance of the dead bodies. Seven residents of Polac are still missing, while the authorities of Serbia refuse and turn their backs on cooperation with international justice. During the war, 20 residents of Polac survived their wounds,” says Kurti.
“The society and the state of Kosovo will take care of the legacy of the people of Kosovo’s war. We will not cease seeking justice for the victims, for war crimes, and war damages towards the criminals and their commanders,” Prime Minister Kurti wrote.
