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Kosovo

Open Graves Put Spotlight On Kosovo's Missing War Dead

In a symbolic act remembrance, dozens of empty graves have been opened in Kosovo to mark the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30. More than 1,600 people are still considered missing more than two decades after Kosovo's 1998-99 war of independence from Serbia. The conflict left more than 10,000 people dead -- most of them ethnic Albanians. The families of the missing say they have struggled to find closure and continue to hunt for the remains of their loved ones.

An empty, open grave in the village of Krusha e Vogel, in southern Kosovo, is reserved for the remains of missing war dead. The bodies of 61 people have yet to be found more than two decades after Serbian forces killed ethnic Albanians in a 1999 massacre.      
1 An empty, open grave in the village of Krusha e Vogel, in southern Kosovo, is reserved for the remains of missing war dead. The bodies of 61 people have yet to be found more than two decades after Serbian forces killed ethnic Albanians in a 1999 massacre.
   
 
More than 110 empty graves were opened at the Krusha e Vogel cemetery near the town of Prizren to mark the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30.
2 More than 110 empty graves were opened at the Krusha e Vogel cemetery near the town of Prizren to mark the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30.
Agron Limani, a Kosovo Albanian, carries a heavy burden, having lost his father, brother, and two cousins. He has only been able to properly bury his brother, after some remains were found in 2016 near the village. Limani says there's little hope that he will be able to find the remains of the missing family members. "It's a terrible strain, it tortures you. It's quite hard because one doesn't know what to say to the rest of the family."
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Agron Limani, a Kosovo Albanian, carries a heavy burden, having lost his father, brother, and two cousins. He has only been able to properly bury his brother, after some remains were found in 2016 near the village. Limani says there's little hope that he will be able to find the remains of the missing family members. "It's a terrible strain, it tortures you. It's quite hard because one doesn't know what to say to the rest of the family."
A row of empty graves in Krusha e Vogel.
4 A row of empty graves in Krusha e Vogel.
Survivors' testimonies recount that on March 25 and 26, a total of 112 men were executed in the village. Data provided by the Humanitarian Law Fund in Belgrade highlights that the highest death toll resulting from the Serbian offensives was recorded on March 26.           On that grim day, over 100 men were gathered in a village house. They were shot with firearms, and subsequently, the house containing their dead bodies was set ablaze.          
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Survivors' testimonies recount that on March 25 and 26, a total of 112 men were executed in the village. Data provided by the Humanitarian Law Fund in Belgrade highlights that the highest death toll resulting from the Serbian offensives was recorded on March 26.     
    
On that grim day, over 100 men were gathered in a village house. They were shot with firearms, and subsequently, the house containing their dead bodies was set ablaze.     
    
In relation to this massacre, Darko Tasic, a former Serbian militia member, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in Kosovo. However, his conviction solely pertains to the desecration of the victims' remains and robbery, rather than the act of murder itself.    
6 In relation to this massacre, Darko Tasic, a former Serbian militia member, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in Kosovo.

However, his conviction solely pertains to the desecration of the victims' remains and robbery, rather than the act of murder itself.    
Between the cemeteries that contain names, memorial plaques, and flowers, are empty spaces without names, without flowers, and with numbers etched in the concrete.
7 Between the cemeteries that contain names, memorial plaques, and flowers, are empty spaces without names, without flowers, and with numbers etched in the concrete.
Empty graves could also be placed in the nearby village of Krusha e Madhe, where about 60 people remain unaccounted for from the massacre that unfolded there. This tragedy occurred at the same time as in Krusha e Vogel.   
8 Empty graves could also be placed in the nearby village of Krusha e Madhe, where about 60 people remain unaccounted for from the massacre that unfolded there. This tragedy occurred at the same time as in Krusha e Vogel.   
The empty grave of Tafil Ibishi at Vushtrri, Kosovo Tafil Ibishi, who resided in the village of Bajgora in Mitrovica, northern Kosovo, disappeared in the days leading up to his 55th birthday on May 2, 1999. 
9 The empty grave of Tafil Ibishi at Vushtrri, Kosovo

Tafil Ibishi, who resided in the village of Bajgora in Mitrovica, northern Kosovo, disappeared in the days leading up to his 55th birthday on May 2, 1999. 
Bashkim Ibishi says that his father, Tafil, was separated from the Kosovo Albanian group in the vicinity of the village of Studime, in the Vushtri area. This group was fleeing toward Albania due to the attacks by Serbian forces. Eyewitnesses have reported that he was fatally shot alongside more than 100 other civilians in an event now referred to as the Studime Massacre.  Bashkim thought he had found the remains of his father near the place where he was killed. But the DNA analyses done about eight years ago proved that those bones belonged to someone else. Thus, Tafil is now considered missing, and his grave is open. Bashkim says he wil not rest until he finds his father. "I felt very bad, and I will feel like this until the minute I find my father's remains," he said. 
10 Bashkim Ibishi says that his father, Tafil, was separated from the Kosovo Albanian group in the vicinity of the village of Studime, in the Vushtri area. This group was fleeing toward Albania due to the attacks by Serbian forces. Eyewitnesses have reported that he was fatally shot alongside more than 100 other civilians in an event now referred to as the Studime Massacre. 

Bashkim thought he had found the remains of his father near the place where he was killed. But the DNA analyses done about eight years ago proved that those bones belonged to someone else. Thus, Tafil is now considered missing, and his grave is open.

Bashkim says he wil not rest until he finds his father. "I felt very bad, and I will feel like this until the minute I find my father's remains," he said. 
11
Mehdi Ahmeti sits beside the empty grave of his missing grandmother, Hamide Ahmeti, in Rezalle, Skenderaj. Hamide, who was then 82 years old, was last seen on April 5, 1999.            During one of the Serbian forces' military actions nearby, she was at home with other women and children. According to Hamide's nephew, Mehdi, Serbian forces were forcibly evacuating civilians from their homes that day.            A villager named Ibush Deliu had offered to transport the immobilized Hamide in a wheelchair, as others lacked the physical strength to assist her.  While he his dead body was discovered a few days later, Hamide’s body was never found.  
12 Mehdi Ahmeti sits beside the empty grave of his missing grandmother, Hamide Ahmeti, in Rezalle, Skenderaj. Hamide, who was then 82 years old, was last seen on April 5, 1999.      
    
During one of the Serbian forces' military actions nearby, she was at home with other women and children. According to Hamide's nephew, Mehdi, Serbian forces were forcibly evacuating civilians from their homes that day.      
    
A villager named Ibush Deliu had offered to transport the immobilized Hamide in a wheelchair, as others lacked the physical strength to assist her.  While he his dead body was discovered a few days later, Hamide’s body was never found.  
Mehdi expresses his discomfort and pain with the visits to the vacant grave.  "We come here frequently, but there's no motivation or reason to visit, knowing that there are no remains or anything of the sort."     To this day, he still thinks about the possible fates that befell Hamide. "Perhaps she was drowned, or she was physically assaulted, or maybe she was struck by an armoured vehicle. Her destiny, both on that day and today, remains shrouded in uncertainty," he said.    
13 Mehdi expresses his discomfort and pain with the visits to the vacant grave.  "We come here frequently, but there's no motivation or reason to visit, knowing that there are no remains or anything of the sort."
   
To this day, he still thinks about the possible fates that befell Hamide. "Perhaps she was drowned, or she was physically assaulted, or maybe she was struck by an armoured vehicle. Her destiny, both on that day and today, remains shrouded in uncertainty," he said.    
Empty graves wait for missing persons in Krushe e Madhe.
14 Empty graves wait for missing persons in Krushe e Madhe.
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RFE/RL's Balkan Service

In 2019, RFE/RL's Balkan Service marked 25 years of reporting in one of the world’s most contested regions, championing professionalism and moderation in a media landscape that is sharply divided along ethnic and partisan lines.

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Doruntina Baliu

Doruntina Baliu is a journalist with RFE/RL's Kosovo Service. 

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Shkelqim Hysenaj

Shkelqim Hysenaj is an executive producer for RFE/RL's Kosovo Service. 

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Arben Hoti

Arben Hoti is a freelance video journalist for RFE/RL's Kosovo Service.

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