Sveçla after identification of three victims from mass graves: Clarifying the fate of the missing remains a state priority

Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla reacted after the identity of three victims was confirmed, their mortal remains found in mass graves at various locations in northern Kosovo.

In a post, Sveçla said that clarifying the fate of the forcibly disappeared persons remains one of the main priorities of the state of Kosovo.

“Clarifying the fate of every forcibly disappeared person is a state priority of the Republic of Kosovo and a human obligation, which remains open as long as even one family awaits an answer,” he wrote.

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced that DNA reports have confirmed the identity of three victims, after the exhumation of mortal remains discovered in mass graves in the north of the country.

According to Kurti, the victims belong to the group known as the “Group of Intellectuals”, composed mainly of citizens of Mitrovica and Skenderaj, who were abducted and forcibly disappeared on April 19, 1999 by Serbian forces.

The “Group of Intellectuals”, composed of 23 Albanians — activists, professionals, and public figures from the Mitrovica area — disappeared in the territory of Zubin Potok during the 1999 war.

Kosovo’s institutions have reiterated that clarifying the fate of missing persons remains a necessary process for justice, truth, and easing the pain of families who for more than two decades have awaited information about their loved ones.