Produced as part of the EU-funded project “Unveiling the Truth: Combating Monoethnic Journalism and Advocating for Missing Persons in Kosovo,” the documentary highlighted the lasting impact of war crimes on families and communities across Kosovo and included stories and testimonies from the families of missing people from the municipalities of Prizren, Suhareka, Dragash and Mamusha and from representatives of relevant institutions addressing the grievances of the past in Kosovo.
A discussion followed the documentary screening, making this event part of a broader series of public discussions on transitional justice and missing persons in Kosovo.
According to the data presented, 1,560 persons remain missing in Kosovo, including 280 people from this region. This discussion was moderated by BIRN Kosovo Executive Director and journalist Jeta Xharra and included representatives from Kosovo institutions and civil society organisations involved in the process.
Panelists included Ilir Morina, from the Special Prosecution, Kushtrim Gara, from the Government Commission on Missing Persons, Ditor Haliti, from the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Agron Limani, an activist from the Krusha region, Aleksandar Rapajic, ACDC, and Kreshnik Gashi, from KALLXO.com.
The panelists highlighted the importance of accountability and overall cooperation for the broader transitional justice process in Kosovo. Information sharing by the families of missing persons throughout the process is crucial, especially given that some family members in the Prizren region refuse to provide any DNA data to the relevant authorities.
IML representative Ditor Haliti emphasized the importance of information sharing, especially coming from the families of missing people which, for any piece of information they possess, should approach Kosovo institutions.
All the panelists highly evaluated the impact of such activities conducted by BIRN Kosovo and ACDC since they serve also as a joint call to all communities in Kosovo to come together and do their part, also calling for the political level to do more.
The event was attended by 93 participants, of whom 63 were women. Participants included representatives from local authorities in the Municipality of Prizren, activists, members of academia, students, and family members of persons missing from the war.
This event was organised in the framework of “Unveiling the Truth: Combating Monoethnic Journalism and Advocating for Missing Persons in Kosovo” project, funded by the European Union.