Dear Director Hetemi,
Many esteemed representatives of institutions, family members, teachers, former students and witnesses of that difficult time,
Representatives of civil society and the academic world,
Dear guests,
There are stories that do not fade despite the passing of years, just as there are crimes that are never forgotten, because silence would be a betrayal of the truth, of justice, and of those who experienced this crime themselves.
The mass poisoning of Albanian students in Kosovo, in the years ’89-’90, is a terrible crime, which demands answers and justice to this day.
A smell that initially seemed insignificant, but within minutes turned into panic and anxiety, students losing consciousness, dizziness, vomiting, sweating, and breathing problems.
These were the symptoms and this was the scene of the years ’89-’90, when the poisoning of Kosovo students by the criminal Serbian regime began.
This scent, which later turned out to be a chemical nerve agent, was the prelude to one of the worst attacks on Albanian children in Europe since World War II. This was not a coincidence, but a premeditated act against the students of our schools, as well as other people.
The poisoning process lasted for many days between 1989 and 1990, and affected a wide range of institutions, including preschools, primary, secondary, and higher education institutions, a cultural institution, and an economic enterprise. According to data collected by Mr. Halim Hyseni, whom we have the honour of having here today, a total of over 7,000 people were poisoned during that period.
In just a few weeks, schools in Pristina, Podujeva, Ferizaj, Gjilan, Vushtrri, Mitrovica, Kamenica and many other cities were transformed into scenes of pain and fear.
In many cases, ambulances, especially those run by Serbian staff, refused to provide assistance to Albanian children. Instead of providing them with basic medical care, they were stigmatized, ridiculed, and ignored.
On the other hand, many Albanian doctors and nurses who raised the alarm about the poisoning and came to the aid of the students at that time were dismissed from their jobs by the Serbian regime, accused of propaganda, and then banned from speaking in local and international media.
Dear guests,
After initial analyses, independent experts highlighted the presence of dangerous neurotoxic substances, which have been used even by the most brutal regimes in the world.
On February 8, 1992, Professor A. Heyndirckx, scientific expert and director of the International Laboratory of IRUL University, in his study “What is it about Kosovo”, concluded that an organic-chemical nerve gas, sarin and tabun, substances known worldwide as chemical warfare agents, had been used against the students. This scientific finding confirms what Albanian parents, teachers and doctors saw with their own eyes, that a chemical attack was carried out against our children.
This inhuman act was a well-organized, coordinated attack, typical of a repressive state apparatus that sought to break the spirit of a people, by hitting the most vulnerable, children, students, and young people.
Serbia not only committed the crime, but also denied it afterwards, engaging all state propaganda, the secret service, diplomats, and even some of their doctors, describing the whole situation as “mass hysteria.” A grave insult to the families, a double blow to the poisoned children. But the facts are universally known. Hundreds of serious cases of poisoning have already been documented. Medical analyses exist, and scientific evidence and contemporary witnesses confirm thousands of other cases that seal the truth.
The children who fell in those days in the school corridors, as a result of poisoning, became a symbol of a silent but invincible resistance. In those days, as Serbia tried to remove Albanians from schools, from the language, from education, Albanian children became participants and witnesses of the national resistance. They became the generation that was educated in homes, in basements, in garages, in makeshift schools. They became the generation that refused to surrender and give up dignity, freedom and the right to education.
Despite the danger, these poisoned children stood firm, they were the forerunners of our freedom. Because Serbia poisoned our young people, but failed to poison their will. These poisonings were part of the wider scheme of Serbian apartheid and crimes against humanity, which were committed against our people in those years. These crimes, which then turned into a genocidal campaign against the people of Kosovo in the years ’98-’99.
They were not an isolated act, but part of an entire system of repression, which initially aimed to close Albanian schools, expel Albanian teachers, and exert systematic violence, which turned into a clear goal to destroy our people.
The poisoning of children was the clearest signal that Serbia would stop at nothing to attempt to subjugate our people. But they neither could nor succeeded.
Today, when we talk about this painful history, it is not to awaken pain, but to awaken conscience. To this day, no perpetrator has been identified, no official responsibility has been taken by Serbia and, as usual, it refuses to accept the truth. Kosovo will not stop seeking justice, despite this denial of the truth by Serbia. We will continue to work on documentation and to seek responsibility for this crime. This is because only nations that remember and respect the past build true and lasting peace. Our proof is the foundation of our freedom.
Dear guests,
The poisonings were the beginning of what would follow later, the war of ’98-’99, the ethnic cleansing and genocide committed by the Serbian regime. All of this is part of the same criminal doctrine that the Milosevic regime used.
Nonetheless, despite everything, Kosovo rose, defended itself, and with the stoic struggle of the Kosovo Liberation Army, with the wise leadership of President Rugova, and with the help of allies, achieved freedom and independence. Today, Kosovo is free, precisely because entire generations sacrificed everything for freedom and dignity.
The history of the poisoning of Albanian students in Kosovo is not only a history of pain, but also of resistance. It is a history of not giving up and of the will to survive, to learn, to live and to be free. It is a history that teaches us that freedom was born in school desks, but also in the schoolyards where our children were poisoned, but were never broken.
Therefore, today we remember to never forget, but also to prevent such macabre acts from being repeated anywhere. This remembrance is in the function of building a future with dignity and justice.
Glory to the generation that kept Albanian education and dignity alive in the darkest years!
Justice for the poisoned children!
Thank you!
