Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, attended the opening of the exhibition “Memory in Photographs: Mosques Destroyed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Kosovo during the 1990s – Planned Sacralocide.”
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Kurti stated that cultural heritage constitutes the foundation of our collective identity, connects us to the past, strengthens awareness of shared values, and cultivates responsibility for preserving collective memory for future generations.
“During the 1998–1999 war, alongside the loss of thousands of lives and extensive material damage, Kosovo also suffered severe destruction to its cultural heritage, which was deliberately targeted and destroyed by Serbian armed forces. In the rulings of the Hague Tribunal, the intentional destruction of cultural heritage during this war has been classified as a crime against humanity,” he said.
Speaking about the government’s commitment, Kurti noted that in 2021 concrete steps were taken to seek justice for the destruction of cultural heritage monuments. In this regard, he mentioned the establishment of a commission composed of local and international experts, which officially documented the damages and losses, paving the way for demands for justice and compensation. According to this report, during the period 1998–1999, 1,788 cultural heritage monuments were destroyed, more than 3,724 museum objects were looted from public museum collections in Kosovo, and 175 public libraries containing over 1.7 million books were destroyed. Of the 1,788 destroyed monuments, at least 500 were residential towers (kullas), 218 mosques and 11 tekkes, 17 Catholic churches, as well as the Museum of the Albanian League of Prizren.
He emphasized that this exhibition, organized by the Islamic Community of Kosovo and the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is of particular importance because it clearly and convincingly documents the destruction of religious and cultural heritage as part of a deliberate strategy aimed at erasing the cultural and religious identity of our peoples.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister stated that throughout this important documentation process, the Islamic Community of Kosovo has played a significant role by contributing valuable information on the destruction of Islamic cultural heritage. He underlined that throughout history, the Islamic Community has proven to be an important pillar in preserving and cultivating national, religious, and cultural values in Kosovo.
In closing, Prime Minister Kurti thanked all those involved for their dedication and contribution to the preparation and organization of this exhibition.
