The President: The blood of Jusuf, Bardhosh and Kadri lies at the very foundations of the freedom and the Republic of Kosovo
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, stated that today marked a moment of remembrance and honour for Jusuf Gërvalla, Bardhosh Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka, three patriots who never bowed, three voices that were never extinguished, three torches of our freedom. President Osmani wrote: Today marked a moment of remembrance and honour for Jusuf Gërvalla, Bardhosh Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka, three patriots who never bowed, three voices that were never extinguished, three torches of our freedom. The bullets of the assassination sought to silence them, but instead rendered them immortal. They were the voice of an oppressed Kosovo and the rallying cry of a people who refused submission. Today we honor them because the blood of Jusuf, Bardhosh and Kadri is embedded in the foundations of the freedom and the Republic of Kosovo. May the glory to the heroes of the word, of the ideal, and of the nation be eternal!
Statement by President Osmani following the commemorations in honour of Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka
President Osmani: Smajl Hajdaraj was the voice of courage, the embodiment of resistance, and the spirit of a Kosovo that never yielded
On this anniversary, we pay tribute to the legacy of Smajl Hajdaraj, the deputy, relentless political activist, and commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, who was treacherously killed in an ambush on 17 January 2002. Smajl was the voice of courage, the embodiment of resistance, and the spirit of a Kosovo that never yielded. The bullets that ended his life could not extinguish his ideals, and serving justice for him remains an obligation. May the glory to the life and legacy of Smajl Hajdaraj be eternal!
President Osmani: Gjergj Kastrioti – Skënderbeu was the sword of freedom, a master strategist in battle, and a shaper of alliances
Gjergj Kastrioti – Skënderbeu was the sword of freedom, a master strategist in battle, and a shaper of alliances. He safeguarded not only Albanian territory but also the dignity, faith and liberty of the European continent. From Kruja to the very heart of Europe, his name became a symbol of resistance, honour and our enduring identity. May the glory to the Commander-in-Chief Gjergj Kastrioti – Skënderbeu be eternal!
The President: The Kosovo Security Force, our pride, the shield of the homeland, the strength that guarantees freedom!
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, stated that the Kosovo Security Force stands as our pride, the shield of the homeland, and the strength that guarantees freedom. “Strong. Professional. A trusted ally. Unbreakable. The Kosovo Security Force, our pride, the shield of the homeland, the strength that guarantees freedom!”, the President wrote.
President: Yesterday in Reçak, we visited two families for whom history remains an open wound
Yesterday, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, paid visits to the Kamberi and Ismajli families, both profoundly scarred by the loss of their loved ones in the Reçak Massacre. President Osmani wrote: Yesterday in Reçak, we visited two families for whom history remains an open wound. The Kamberi and Ismajli families have been profoundly scarred by the loss of their family members in the Reçak Massacre. In these households, pain has not been extinguished; it has been transformed into resilience. Hazbi Kamberi, wounded at the age of fifteen, and his father, brutally massacred for refusing to abandon his home, embody a truth that can never be erased. Meanwhile, Muhamet Ismajli suffered alongside six of his cousins in the massacre, while the fate of Sahide from this family remains unresolved, even as her grave stands open. Reçak lives on in each of these families, in every doorway that crime failed to seal, in every heart that rejects oblivion, and in the children and young people who will carry the story of Reçak from generation to generation. Kosovo stands upon this sacrifice. The undeniable and everlasting truth is our foundation.
President: Reçak still speaks powerfully today, through the land that was soaked with innocent blood
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, paid homage today at the Memorial Complex in Reçak, on the 27th anniversary of the Reçak Massacre. President Osmani wrote: Reçak still speaks powerfully today, through the land that was soaked with innocent blood. It speaks through the pain of the families who lost their loved ones in the cruelest way possible. It speaks through our constant call for justice! It also speaks through the new generation – smiling, happy, and above all, free children! The blood of the fallen in Reçak and throughout Kosovo became a guiding light and a promise that will never be broken! Glory to all the martyrs of our freedom!
President Osmani received the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States of America, Anu Prattipati
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmai, today received the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States of America, Ms. Anu Prattipati. During the meeting, they discussed the smooth conduct of the parliamentary elections and the fulfilment of the highest democratic standards, which was highly appreciated by both parties. Emphasizing the importance of the swift constitution of institutions, the need for this process to develop in full accordance with the constitution was reiterated. President Osmani and Ms. Prattipati also exchanged views on a range of important issues in the realm of bilateral cooperation. On this occasion, President Osmani underlined Kosovo’s unwavering commitment to move forward hand in hand with the United States, in the spirit of mutual trust, shared values, and close coordination in strategic processes. On this occasion, Ms. Prattipati conveyed to the President and the First Gentleman the New Year greetings from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the Frist Lady, Melania Trump.
The speech of President Vjosa Osmani at the Reçak Massacre Memorial Academy
Honourable Speaker of the Parliament, Mr. Basha, Honourable Prime Minister of the Republic, Mr. Kurti, Honourable Mayor, Mr. Aliu, Honourable Ambassador Walker and Mrs. Walker, Honourable Ministers, Members of Parliament, Representatives of Security Institutions, Honourable Ambassadors, Dear Families of the Victims of the Reçak Massacre, Representatives of Institutions, Associations Emerging from the War, Honourable Guests There are places that remain forever as evidence. There are places that never fall silent, where the trace of pain is as fresh as it was 27 years ago. There are places that became the awakening of the conscience of the democratic world. Reçak is one of them. Recak is not just a name in the history of our Republic, but a turning point. A turning point that clarified to the world the bitter reality of the Serbian genocidal regime against innocent civilians in Kosovo. On January 15, 1999, Recak became a symbol of the suffering of a people seeking freedom, but also a symbol of courage. Of the courage to call crime by its true name. This courage was demonstrated by the one who remains the symbol of truth today, Ambassador William Walker. “From what I personally saw, I do not hesitate to describe the event as a massacre, obviously a crime very much against humanity.” These were the words of Ambassador William Walker, spoken on January 16, 1999, in Reçak. But they were not just words, they were a turning point in our history that shocked the world and, above all, unmasked the lie of the genocidal regime of Serbia. In this place, where the land still bears the weight of pain, 27 years ago, 45 civilians, men, women and elderly people from this village were brutally massacred, most of them on Bebushi Hill. They were killed simply because they were Albanians. People who wanted to live freely in their land. Among the 45 martyrs were Benjamin Mehmeti’s father and sister. On that cold January day, the fate of the two twin brothers was divided by an innocent decision to return home. Benjamin decided to stay one more night with his uncles in the village of Godanc, while Elhami decided to return home to Reçak. But returning home was as much a desire as it was anxiety, uncertainty and danger, above all. On the terrible day of January 15, 1999, Elhami’s path was cut short by the bullets of the genocidal regime of Serbia, which wounded him, and killed his sister Hanumshahe as she was trying to come to her brother’s aid, as every sister does for her brother. The nightmare for the family did not end there. Benjamin also lost his father that same day. Benjamin Mehmeti’s pain is not individual, it is the pain of all of Kosovo, it is the pain shared by everyone in Reçak. Because, those who lost their loved ones were many, are many, are among us every day. In Kosovo, everyone has given something for freedom: some have given blood, some rifle, some sweat and some tears, which do not stop even today. And it is precisely this sacrifice that made freedom possible. It also made our independent state possible, which is dedicated to everyone who worked hard and made sacrifices in their own way so that we can live freely in the Republic of Kosovo today. Dear attendees, The Reçak massacre was a historical turning point, because the images of that day shocked the international conscience and mobilized world diplomacy. This happened because one man, Ambassador William Walker, who, like every anniversary, is here with us today, had the courage to call the crime by its true name. He did not bow to Milosevic’s propaganda. He gave voice to the truth, for which the people of Kosovo will be eternally grateful. Thank you, Ambassador Walker, for the truth, because thanks to it, the world recognized the crime that Serbia had committed against innocent victims in the Republic of Kosovo. This was clear then, and this is clear today, and it will always remain so, despite Serbia’s claims to rewrite history. You immortalized the story of the horror of January 15, 1999, in your authorial book “Reçak: A Story of a War Crime”. The testimony of that time and of today seals the truth of Recak for us and for the generations that will come after us. Your words paved the way for NATO’s intervention, which, along with the just struggle of the girls and boys of the Kosovo Liberation Army, made possible the fulfilment of our centuries-old dream for freedom. The girls and boys of the KLA were the worthiest representatives of a generation that never knelt in the face of Serbian terror. They defended their homes, protected the innocent population, defended dignity and restored hope, so we are eternally grateful to each of the 3,000 martyrs of the Kosovo Liberation Army, including those who gave their lives in Reçak. We are also grateful to all the veterans and invalids of the war, who still bear the burden of defending the just war of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Today, while Reçak still seeks justice, we are faced with denial, with the relativization of the crime and with the continuation of a mentality that produced genocide. But the truth cannot be changed. Reçak is evidence, Reçak is a historical fact. Here in this land, where January turned into a grave, and where the cries of pain never died down, here is the eternal testimony. Therefore, we have an obligation to never stay silent. To speak every day, in every forum, here and everywhere in the world. To prove that in the 1990s, the people of Kosovo defended their doorstep from a genocidal regime. Dear attendees, Reçak still speaks powerfully through the call for justice. Because Reçak was a planned crime, committed with the intention of extermination, so as for any other crime, we still call and work for justice. Today, the pain we feel comes not only from what happened that day, but also from
President Vjosa Osmani’s statement on the 27th anniversary of the Reçak Massacre
