Dear Vasfije,
Dear Shyhrete,
Honourable Ramadan,
Dear family members,
Distinguished representatives of friendly countries,
Honourable representatives of KRCT and other organizations we cooperate with daily,
Distinguished attendees,
There are moments when words fall short in expressing our gratitude, just as there are individuals whose courage renders us truly speechless. Today, we gather to pay our deepest respects to three individuals who are far more than mere individuals. Through their suffering, they have illuminated the path toward truth, justice and hope.
Ms. Vasfije Krasniqi, Ms. Shyhrete Tahiri and Mr. Ramadan Nishori will forever remain etched in the collective memory of our people.
Throughout history, there are rare voices that, even when exhausted by injustice, speak with a force capable of shaking the foundations of silence. Vasfije, Shyhrete and Ramadan, you are precisely those voices. You are the voice of truth, waiting decades for justice. You are the voice that has chosen dignity, the voice of survivors who refuse to remain silent.
Today, with full hearts, we therefore honour you with a title most richly deserved: the “Honour of the Republic.”
For you, who through your courage have raised not only your own voice but also the voice of thousands of survivors still living with the wounds inflicted by unimaginable crimes.
This is far more than a decoration. It is a living promise that we will never allow history to forget those trampled by brutality, and that our Republic will never be whole without justice for you and the thousands of other survivors who endured the barbarity of the Milosevic regime.
Ramadan, your testimony is an extraordinary act of courage and heroism. You are the first man to speak about this crime and a representative of all the men who for years bore their pain in silence. Through your voice, we have broken yet another wall of silence and stigma. No one who has been a victim of a crime is guilty. As you yourself said: “Shame will forever fall upon those who committed this crime, never upon the survivors, who have become the pride of our country through their relentless struggle for justice”.
Vasfije, your voice has become an inspiration for all of us and for generations yet to come. You spoke when it was hardest to speak. You stood firm when it was easiest to hide. You have become a symbol of resistance, of strength, and of hope for all those who feel broken. You have been a voice that has resonated from the U.S. Congress to the UN Security Council, and from the European Parliament to every corner of the world.
Shyhrete, your testimony, as a woman and as a mother who endured double the pain, because the suffering was not only your own but also that of your children who witnessed what you endured, has moved the hearts of all who have heard it, not only in Kosovo but far beyond. You are not merely a witness to suffering, but a testament to boundless strength, love and care for others, even in moments when you yourself may have felt shattered. You are a living example of the power one individual possesses to uplift not only themselves but an entire society and nation. And that is precisely what you have accomplished, and your example continues through your daughters and children.
Dear attendees,
Survivors of sexual violence during the war are not merely victims; they are witnesses. They are living proof and our strongest pillar in the fight for justice. They are the voice of truth, reminding us every day that without justice, there can be no lasting peace.
Therefore, all efforts of our Republic must focus on seeking justice, not only as a moral obligation, but as a duty to life, human dignity, and the generations that follow. It is our responsibility to ensure that no one ever experiences what our people endured.
We cannot build sustainable peace without justice for the women and men who suffered the most inhumane violence, including children. Through your courage, however, you have changed Kosovo. We all stand with you on this journey. Today, Kosovo honours you, and we will not stop until justice prevails, until every survivor is heard, respected and never feels alone again.
Therefore, in the exercise of my constitutional powers as President of the Republic of Kosovo, I have decided to award Vasfije, Shyhrete and Ramadan the Order “Honour of the Republic” for their extraordinary courage in breaking decades of silence around the most inhumane crimes committed during the war, for the dignity with which they faced suffering and stigma, and for their irreplaceable role in raising social and international awareness about survivors of sexual violence during the war.
Dear Vasfije,
Dear Shyhrete,
Honourable Ramadan,
Dear family members of these three living heroes of our people,
Many survivors are following us today through the screens. I hope that tomorrow we can have them seated here to receive the recognition they deserve and to hear their voices as well.
The genocidal regime of Milosevic thought that by committing the most barbaric acts of sexual violence, it could strip you of your dignity.
But you have become the honour of our state, the honour of our nation. Today, we formalize this through a presidential decree, but you have already been enshrined as the Honour of our Republic in the annals of our nation’s history.
Congratulations!
