The acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated in the commemoration of the 26th anniversary of the Dubrava Massacre one of the darkest episodes of Kosovo’s wartime history.
Speaking in the courtyard of Dubrava prison, Kurti said that this place the yard, the prison structures, the land, and the surrounding area constitutes one of the heaviest zones of suffering and human loss in all of Kosovo.
“The uncovering of the Dubrava Massacre is, above all, the uncovering of the places where it occurred, the bodies of the victims, and the testimonies given by witnesses. The Dubrava Massacre began to come to light in the very first days after the war,” Kurti stated.
Recalling the horrific chronology of the event, the Prime Minister emphasized that on May 24, 1999, out of approximately 980 Albanian prisoners gathered in Dubrava prison, one went missing—politician and professor Ukshin Hoti, who remains among the forcibly disappeared. Meanwhile, 117 prisoners were killed, and over 300 others were wounded around 185 of them seriously.
“But the revelation of the Dubrava Massacre is also the revelation of its perpetrators, the planners behind the scenes, the ones who issued the orders, and those who carried them out. The graves of the 117 killed and their absence among us are the most undeniable evidence of this state crime. Most of the massacre’s survivors are still alive, and many are here with us today. They have testified and can continue to do so. Some have published books with their testimonies; many have given interviews, submitted documents, photographs while satellite imagery from NATO can also serve as irrefutable evidence for investigating the criminal scenarios of Serbia’s ethnic cleansing and genocide projects in Kosovo,” Kurti said.
Furthermore, Kurti called on the Special Prosecution of Kosovo to begin investigations into this massacre and to initiate judicial processes.
“There is no more fitting place to make this call than here where we stand alive and strong, never forgetting those who were even stronger, but are no longer among us because Serbia’s criminal hand executed them in this very courtyard. War criminals of every rank and responsibility must be investigated and prosecuted because war crimes do not expire, are never forgotten, and cannot be forgiven. Never, for any of them, in any case,” Kurti declared.
