In a historic move within the Serbian Parliament, Shaip Kamberi, the sole Albanian representative, along with two lawmakers from the SDA Sandžak party, Ahmedin Shkrijel and Minela Kalender, have officially proposed a resolution to condemn the crimes committed by Serbian forces in Kosovo during the 1998–1999 conflict.
The resolution seeks to address the dark legacy of the Milošević-era regime and promote regional reconciliation through truth and accountability.
Key Demands of the Resolution
The document outlines a comprehensive condemnation of the state-sponsored violence against the ethnic Albanian civilian population. According to Kamberi, the resolution focuses on:
- Condemnation of Systematic Crimes: It targets the systematic killings, mass deportations, and ethnic cleansing carried out by military, police, and paramilitary structures.
- Commemoration of Massacres: It explicitly lists some of the most brutal atrocities, including the massacres in Reçak, Meja, Krusha e Madhe, Krusha e Vogël, Suhareka, Izbica, and Podujeva.
- Mass Grave Sites: The resolution recalls the discovery of mass graves containing the remains of Kosovo Albanians on Serbian territory, specifically at sites in Batajnica, Petrovo Selo, Perućac, and Kiževak.
Call for Open Archives and Truth
The proposal places heavy emphasis on the “right to know” for the families of the victims. It demands:
- Opening of State Archives: Unrestricted access to state and military archives to uncover the truth about the planning and execution of wartime crimes.
- Missing Persons: A commitment to continue and intensify investigations into the fate of those still listed as missing.
- End to Revisionism: The resolution strongly condemns the ongoing denial of war crimes and the public glorification of convicted war criminals within Serbia.
Political Significance
The submission of this resolution by Kamberi and the Sandžak representatives is a direct challenge to the political status quo in Belgrade, where the 1998–1999 war remains a deeply sensitive and often controversial topic.
While the chances of the resolution passing in the current Serbian Parliament—dominated by nationalist and governing parties—are considered slim, Kamberi emphasized that the act is a necessary step toward “justice for the victims and a secure future for the region.”
The proposal comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Balkans, as both Pristina and Belgrade face international pressure to resolve historical disputes and move toward normalization.
