Dear families of Studime and all of Vushtrri,
Honourable Prime Minister Kurti,
Honourable Mayor Mr. Idrizi,
Honourable leaders of political parties,
Honourable members of parliament,
Honourable ministers,
Honourable family of former President Thaçi,
Honourable representatives of the Kosovo Security Force, Kosovo Police, ministers, and above all, families of the martyrs of Studime, families of martyrs, of martyrs, as well as associations that emerged from the KLA war,
On the 25th anniversary of the Studime Massacre, we are here again to commemorate the 116 civilians, including many children and pregnant women, whom the machinery of the Serbian genocidal regime killed within two hours only because they were Albanians.
It is difficult to find words to adequately express the depth of grief that all of us in Kosovo feel for the lives lost, for the families that were affected by this barbaric act.
As a state and a nation, we still have to deal with open wounds and unbearable pain, because unfortunately, in almost every municipality of Kosovo, in every city and in every village, just like here in Studime, our citizens have experienced terrible massacres, where the cruelty of the Serbian occupier went beyond human imagination.
Such atrocities are powerful evidence of how necessary our fight for freedom was. They are powerful evidence of our right and of the confirmation of the universally recognized fact that Kosovo was a victim of aggression, while chauvinistic Serbia was the aggressor, that Serbia committed the crimes, while Kosovo was defending itself.
We will defend this truth anywhere and anytime, because our liberation war was a war for freedom, a war to protect the right to our dignity, to protect our home, just as every martyr, every hero and every fighter of the Kosovo Liberation Army did, led by the legendary commander, Adem Jashari.
On this anniversary of the Studime Massacre, we stand with the families of the 116 martyrs, because they are the grief of all of Kosovo, and at the same time they are our common obligation, to ensure that justice be served.
Our fight for justice is not over yet. Unfortunately, because we are facing a Serbia with the mentality of the Milosevic era. But, I am convinced that all of us together will win this confrontation again, because the truth is on our side, and justice will be served, no matter how long it is delayed.
May 2nd, 1999 was a terrible day for Studime, because the criminal Serbian regime, in a state operation, brutally executed innocent Albanians, many of whom were executed at close range and in cold blood.
Wherever we go in Kosovo, and especially here in Studime, we hear the stories of mothers who tell us the same thing, the way their children were taken from their laps, the way their children were torn from their hands.
Indescribable pain, but at the same time, a motivation for each of us to never give up in our fight for justice.
Therefore, in this battle, historical memory is our most powerful weapon. It testifies to the atrocities committed in the name of tyranny and oppression and obliges us to hold the perpetrators accountable for their crimes.
By defending and sharing the truth, we honour the memory of those who have fallen, and ensure that this truth is passed down from generation to generation, so that such crimes will never be repeated.
Today we also honour the heroic struggle of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the brave men and women who stood on the front lines of the battle for the freedom of our people. They stood steadfast in their commitment to the cause of liberation, many of whom gave their lives for the noble ideal of freedom.
Their courage, sacrifice, and unwavering determination serve as an inspiration to us all, reminding us that freedom is not given, but is earned through struggle, sacrifice, and unwavering determination.
And although the wounds of war and the terrible day in Studime will never fully heal, the spirit of the people here remains unbroken.
The study has now been resurrected as the residents, along with the hope for justice, look to the future and lead Kosovo forward.
Despite the unimaginable pain that our citizens have gone through, both the study and all of Kosovo, keep the pain for their loved ones fresh, as we all work together for an ever free and developed Kosovo.
We will always remember the martyrs, we will never forget them, just as we will remember all those who fell for the freedom of Kosovo.
Glory be to the eternal memory of the martyrs of the study and all those who fell for freedom!
