Prishtina, July 1st 2019 – The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, participated today at the conference organised by the Islamic Community of Kosovo in support of the survivors of sexual violence during the last war in Kosovo.
President Thaçi said that not only survivors of sexual violence, but our entire society needed a common voice in support of victims of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo.
Considering that this conference was very appropriate and necessary, and which included numerous religious clerics and representatives of civil society organizations, who for many years have cared for and supported the survivors, President Thaçi has said that he should we seek more support from the whole society.
“Survivors of sexual violence need more institutional and social support. They need stronger support and more understanding within our family, community and society, “said President Thaçi.
The head of state has said that the guilt of this serious injustice, even after 20 years, unfortunately continues to weigh on the victims of sexual violence themselves.
“Our society needs to be more aware and do more for the survivors. We all have to fight together the stigmatization of victims of sexual violence. The war for us ended in 1999, but for the survivors of sexual violence it has never ended. Because of the fear of stigmatization, which should not be present in our society, the survivors still suffer in silence, “said President Thaçi.
He further said that many other crimes, including rape, were a means of war for Serbian criminals, for the state of Serbia.
“They were macabre crimes, done to humiliate us, to break us down and to destroy our honour and dignity. They tried, at all costs, to strip us from all human values, to harass us , to disgrace us all up to our exclusion and isolation of one another,” said the President.
The head of state said that survivors of sexual violence are not guilty of their past, as it is part of the past of our people and our state.
“They are the victims, who more than anyone, are in need of our support, of the support of the state, of the institutions and of the citizens of Kosovo. Our society must never allow the criminals of the state of Serbia to achieve their aims. We must say this very loud and clear: we shall not allow,” said the President.
President Thaçi has said that we should speak just as Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman spoke and seek justice for thousands of victims of sexual violence exercised by the Serbian police and military forces during the Kosovo war.
“War crimes do not get old, but by not talking, without reporting, they are amnestied. Therefore, it is never too late to report the cases, because only with concrete commitment and cooperation, with the correct implementation of the law, justice can be provided for the victims and to ask for responsibility of the criminals who committed these crimes, led by the state Serbia, “said President Thaçi.
The president of the country has said that apart from sexual violence, the state of Serbia has also committed ethnic cleansing and genocide in Kosovo, has violently expelled about 1 million Kosovo's citizens from their homes and properties, has committed about 400 massacres throughout Kosovo against civilians only because they were Albanians, killed about 1300 children just because they were Albanians.
“A silent amnesty of international justice has taken place towards the state of Serbia and the criminals who committed crimes in Kosovo. Besides asking for justice, we also asking for clarity as to why this silent amnesty is happening, by the international factor for which the bombing has also occurred, “said President Thaçi.
The head of state said that for ten years of UNMIK administration no Serbian criminals were convicted of sexual violence.
Even the Hague tribunal, according to President Thaçi, has not dealt with these issues.
“EULEX has made efforts but has not succeeded. Therefore, victims need not only support, not only should we love them , respect and honour them, but they also seek justice and the address to seek justice is very obvious, it is the official Belgrade. Those people who have organized and led this systemic violence, these macabre crimes, are in the Serbian Parliament, in the Government of Serbia, at the highest security institutions of the state of Serbia, and in some form or other this is being hushed by the international community,” added the President.
President Thaçi stressed that we must provide full support to the victims, and at the same time, anywhere the opportunity arises, we must clearly state that there was no justice for the crimes perpetrated by the state of Serbia, as those crimes were not committed by the individuals who have come from Serbia to Kosovo, but have been perpetrated by the state of Serbia.