The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, visited today the Association of Families of Missing Persons in Mitrovicë, where she met with relatives of persons who were forcibly disappeared during the war.
During this visit, Acting President Haxhiu, accompanied by MP Arjeta Fejza, listened closely to the concerns, requests and sufferings of families who are still waiting for answers about their loved ones.
“In the Municipality of Mitrovica, there are still 104 persons who are counted as forcibly disappeared, about whose fate the families have no information at all. This is a grave wound for the families, for Mitrovica and for the entire Republic of Kosovo,” emphasized Acting President Haxhiu.
She said that the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo have an obligation to continue working to clarify the fate of the forcibly disappeared persons, while the main obstacle in this process remains the lack of cooperation by Serbia.
“The main problem continues to be Serbia, which is not providing the necessary information on the fate of the forcibly disappeared persons. We will address the requests of the families and mothers who are still waiting for a response to the responsible institutions. This issue must remain at the centre of institutional work”, said Acting President Haxhiu.
During the visit, she thanked the Association of Families of the Missing Persons in Mitrovica for its many years of work in keeping the voices of the families heard and in seeking the truth about the missing persons.
She also emphasized that “this is my first visit to this association and I want to thank them for the great work they have done over the years. For a long time, part of the burden that institutions should have borne after the war has been borne by family associations and organizations, including this association in Mitrovicë.”
Acting President Haxhiu also mentioned the institutional steps taken to address war crimes and strengthen transitional justice in Kosovo.
“For the families of war victims and for the families of persons who have disappeared under force, justice remains a permanent demand. Therefore, important steps have been taken, such as enabling trials in absentia, establishing the Institute for War Crimes, increasing the capacities of the police and prosecutors, and adopting the Transitional Justice Strategy. These are actions that demonstrate the institutional commitment to addressing war crimes and supporting families”, said Acting President Haxhiu.
