Acting President Haxhiu: The Dubrava massacre took place inside a state institution, under the administration of the Serbian state, on unarmed, confined and defenceless people
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, participated today at the marking of the 27th anniversary of the Dubrava Prison massacre. In her address to the participants, Acting President Haxhiu said that a prison is a place where the state closes the door from the outside. “The one who is in the inside has neither weapons, nor freedom, nor the opportunity to defend himself. The life of the prisoner is in the hands of the institution that guards him. For this reason, the Dubrava massacre cannot be treated as an ordinary war crime. The Dubrava massacre took place inside a state institution, under the administration of the Serbian state, on unarmed, confined and defenceless people,” said Acting President Haxhiu. Acting President Haxhiu said that the gravity of the crime becomes even more serious due to the fact that the Albanian prisoners were not there by chance. “In the spring of 1999, people were brought to Dubrava from prisons and detention centers, from Kosovo but also from Serbia. Political convicts, convicted of various crimes, those arrested due to circumstances of the war, were gathered there. All of them found themselves inside that prison that had become an instrument of state crime”, emphasized Acting President Haxhiu. According to her, in Dubrava, the Serbian state built the crime upon a double trap. “First, it kept the Albanian prisoners inside a facility where it had introduced the logic of war. Then, when the danger of bombing became imminent, those who held the keys left to hide, while the Albanians imprisoned there remained locked up. On top of that deliberate abandonment, a deceptive act was also built: to attribute the murders to NATO attacks. On May 19, the prison facilities were hit, including the pavilions, while on May 21 there were strikes again during the day on the prison facilities and the surroundings,” said Acting President Haxhiu. She further said that some of the Albanian prisoners, who were outside the wards for routine prison work, took the tools they had with them and started breaking the doors and locks to get their comrades out of their cells. “In the midst of that horror, the prisoners found a way to send a message to the world. With white plastic pieces, in the prison yard, they wrote the word “HELP”. It was a simple, short, but understandable call to the world. Through this call, the prisoners showed that they are alive. And this was successful, because the airstrikes stopped. But even that word, “HELP”, became a reason for the killers’ rage. Because it broke their script. It showed that there were living people inside the prison, prisoners and witnesses”, said Acting President Haxhiu. Acting President Haxhiu said that after this, on May 22, the prisoners were ordered to line up, under the pretext that they were going to be transferred. “Instead of being transferred, they were shot. Lined up, unarmed, defenseless, they were shot inside the prison yard. Survivors’ testimonies speak of other attacks during that day and the following day, of people seeking refuge in damaged buildings, of wounded people who received no help, of prisoners who tried to save each other. The mechanism of the crime also involved Serbian prisoners, convicted of serious crimes, who were armed and put at the service of the Serbian state apparatus. On May 23, the violence continued. Attacks on prisoners who remained inside the complex further increased the death toll,” said Acting President Haxhiu. She stated that 116 Albanian prisoners were killed and hundreds more were injured in Dubrava prison, in a space where the Serbian state had full responsibility over them. “On the eve of these days, on May 16, 1999, Professor Ukshin Hoti was also released from Dubrava Prison. Since that day, he has remained missing. A rare political mind of Kosovo, a man who had thought of freedom as a historical order, disappeared right there”, claimed Acting President Haxhiu. Acting President Haxhiu said that in Dubrava, the Serbian state acted as a murderous machinery. “It had prisoners in registers, in wards, in rows, under orders and locked up. This is why Dubrava has special legal and moral weight. There the crime did not happen because the state was absent. There the crime happened because the state was present in every link: in command, in the guard, in the weapon, in the deception and in the attempt to hide the truth”, claimed Acting President Haxhiu. According to Acting President Haxhiu, today it is not enough to mention Dubrava as a date. “We must understand it as evidence of Serbia’s monstrous crimes against defenceless Albanian citizens. We must also understand it as evidence of our duty to ensure that the names of the murdered, the testimonies of the survivors and the full truth of Dubrava become part of the state conscience of the Republic of Kosovo”, said Acting President Haxhiu at the end of her address.
Acting President Haxhiu received a delegation of the Kosovo Kickboxing Federation
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, received today a delegation of the Kosovo Kickboxing Federation. On this occasion, Acting President Haxhiu said that Kosovo successfully participated in the Turkish WAKO World Cup in Antalya, one of the largest international kickboxing competitions, with around 3 thousand competitors from over 40 countries. “Today, as a sign of institutional appreciation, I expressed gratitude to the Kosovo Kickboxing Federation, to the medallists Art Dulaj, Artor Mehmeti and Nart Mehmeti, as well as to the athletes who represented the Republic of Kosovo in this competition”, emphasized Acting President Haxhiu. She further added that Art Dulaj won the gold medal in Full Contact with three victories, all three by knockout. Artor Mehmeti and Nart Mehmeti secured bronze medals in Low kick, following the qualification for the semi-finals with an impressive score of 3:0. “Kosovo was also represented worthily in the refereeing, through Albin Musa, part of the international panel of judges. Gratitude to President Fatmir Makolli, as well as to the selectors Nesret Salihaj and Ilir Menxhiqi, for their leadership and work with our athletes”, emphasized Acting President Haxhiu. According to her, from the competitor to the coach, from the referee to the federation, this success proves that the dignified representation of Kosovo is built with discipline, dedication and joint work.
Acting President Haxhiu received the Director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Petrit Ajeti
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, received today the Director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Petrit Ajeti. “We discussed the current security developments in the country, challenges facing the Republic and the importance of the professional, legal, and responsible functioning of our security institutions,” said Acting President Haxhiu. Acting President Haxhiu further added that the security of the Republic of Kosovo requires continuous commitment, vigilance and tireless work each and every day, often away from the public eye, but always in the service of our citizens and our state.
Acting President Haxhiu commemorates the victims of the Stagovë Massacre
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, commemorated today the victims of the Stagovë massacre in Kaçanik, on the 27th anniversary of their murder by Serbian forces. “On May 21st 1999, 13 Albanian civilians were killed in Stagovë, among them the 7-year-old child Fitim Gudaqi. The martyr Ekrem Gudaqi also fell in defense of civilians. This day remains one of the most serious testimonies of the policy of extermination, expulsion and arson that Serbia exercised over the civilian population in Kosovo,” said Acting President Haxhiu. Acting President Haxhiu said that the Stagovë massacre was included in the indictments and investigations of the Hague Tribunal for crimes committed in Kosovo by the forces of the FRY and Serbia. “However, justice for Stagovë remains incomplete, although the crime was included in the investigations and indictments for crimes committed in Kosovo, the direct perpetrators and the entire chain of responsibility for this massacre did not receive the punishment required by the gravity of the crime,” emphasized Acting President Haxhiu.
Acting President Haxhiu: Roads are not just asphalt, they are connections between people, opportunities for development and proof of the state’s presence where it should be
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, said that roads are not just asphalt, they are connections between people, opportunities for development and proof of the state’s presence where it should be. “The commencement of covering with asphalt the road in Zveçan, easier movement, development, faster access to services and greater safety in daily travel are enabled,” said Acting President Haxhiu. According to her, this project, 22 kilometres long, is of particular importance because it connects this area with Lake Ujman.
Acting President Haxhiu, together with Minister Xhelal Sveçla and the General Director of Police Gazmend Hoxha, inaugurated the new police substation in Junakë, Zveçan
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, together with Minister Xhelal Sveçla and the General Director of Police, Gazmend Hoxha, inaugurated today the new police substation in Junakë, Zveçan. According to Acting President Haxhiu, this substation strengthens the institutional presence, increases security and strengthens the sovereignty of the Republic of Kosovo. “The establishment of security institutions in the field is evidence of the state’s expansion and commitment to order, law and security for all citizens, without distinction. The presence of the police enables a faster response, more efficient provision of security and strengthening of trust in state institutions, as the foundation of stability and sustainable security”, emphasized Acting President Haxhiu. She further stated that we will continue investments in the Kosovo Police, in security and in strengthening our state institutions, to protect sovereignty, constitutional order and to build a more developed and safer Kosovo in every corner of it.
Acting President Haxhiu inaugurates the first institutional shelter in the north
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, inaugurated today the first institutional shelter in the north, renovated with an investment of 634 thousand euros. Acting President Haxhiu said that we started our visit to the northern part of Mitrovica where the difference between the state that restores the law and the crime that wanted to hold it hostage is clearly visible. “This is the first shelter in the region in compliance with the standard requirements of the Istanbul Convention. At that time, as Minister of Justice, together with the former mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atiq, and Minister Xhelal Sveçla, we repurposed this facility into a shelter for victims of domestic violence,” said Acting President Haxhiu. Acting President Haxhiu said that the keys were handed over to Minister Andin Hoti today, so that this space can be fully utilised and be put to service those who need security, care and dignity.
Acting President Haxhiu received the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Kosovo, Hristo Kraevski
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, received today in a meeting the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Kosovo, Mr. Hristo Kraevski. Ambassador Kraevski conveyed to Acting President Haxhiu the invitation of H.E. Mrs. Iliana Iotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, to participate at the 30th Anniversary Summit of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP). The current developments in the country and the region, as well as the importance of regional cooperation, political dialogue and good neighborliness as prerequisites for stability, security and sustainable progress in Southeast Europe were discussed at the meeting Acting President Haxhiu praised the good relations between Kosovo and Bulgaria, as well as Bulgaria’s support to the European perspective of the Republic of Kosovo.
Acting President Haxhiu received the French Ambassador to Kosovo, Olivier Guérot
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, received today the Ambassador of France to Kosovo, Mr. Olivier Guérot. The current political developments in the country, with particular emphasis on the importance of establishing functional institutions following the electoral process were discussed at the meeting. Acting President Haxhiu emphasized that the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo remain committed to guaranteeing a regular, credible and inclusive process, as foundations of the democratic functioning of the country. The good relations between Kosovo and France were praised during the meeting, as well as the importance of continuing cooperation in areas of common interest, including the strengthening of democratic institutions, the rule of law and the European perspective of the Republic of Kosovo.
Acting President Haxhiu visits the Ministry of Defense: the Kosovo Security Force is one the most compelling evidence of the progress achieved by our Republic
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, visited the Ministry of Defense today, where she met with the Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, and the Commander of the Kosovo Security Force, Lieutenant General Bashkim Jashari. During the visit, Acting President Haxhiu was informed in greater detail on the developments in the Ministry of Defense and the KSF, the daily work carried out by our military personnel, and with the priorities related to building of our country’s defense capacities. “The Kosovo Security Force is one the most compelling evidence of the path our Republic has traversed. The dream of many generations to protect our home has become an organized and well-prepared force, closely aligned with our partners. The dedication of its members is evidence of the seriousness with which Kosovo is building its security, in coordination with our international partners. Gratitude to every woman and every man in uniform who serves the Republic with honour”, said Acting President Haxhiu.