It has been confirmed that human remains were found in the village of Mala Kaludra in the municipality of Zubin Potok and that they are of forensic interest, according to an initial assessment by the team on the ground, said Ditor Haljiti, a doctor at the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Haljiti said they went to the site on the order of the Special Department of the Basic Court in Pristina to assess the origin of the remains and determine their forensic significance.
He said they secured the site and, due to its complexity, as it is located in mountainous terrain with difficult access, decided to focus first on preparing the location as thoroughly as possible so that the excavation could be carried out in the most professional manner.
Information will first be shared with the families of the missing
The head of the Kosovo Government’s Missing Persons Unit, Kushtrim Gara, said it was still too early to provide more details until all examinations had been completed.
“As an area and as a location, this site has always received proper attention and priority throughout these years. There has always been a continuous institutional effort to respect the fundamental right of families and relatives, which is the right to know the fate and location of their loved ones. Of course, we will wait until all examinations, the exhumation process, and forensic analyses are completed, and any information that can be shared will first be provided to the families of the missing persons,” Gara said.
Exhumation order
Earlier today, the Special Prosecutor’s Office of Kosovo announced that an exhumation of human remains found in the village of Kaludra in the municipality of Zubin Potok was underway.
“At the request of the Special Prosecutor’s Office and by order of the Basic Court in Pristina, the competent institutions are carrying out an order for the exhumation, autopsy, and identification of human remains at a location in the municipality of Zubin Potok,” said Arbnora Ljuta, spokesperson for the Special Prosecutor’s Office.
Mass grave suspected
It is suspected that the village of Mala Kaludra in the municipality of Zubin Potok may contain a mass grave of people who went missing during the Kosovo war, TV Dukagjini reported earlier today.
The area has been placed under strict security measures and is guarded by units of the Kosovo Police, while six EULEX patrols are monitoring the operation.
This comes after the Kosovo Police and the Special Prosecutor’s Office of Kosovo announced that two people suspected of war crimes had been arrested, with suspicions that the arrests are linked to the location where excavations are currently being carried out.
What happened in Mala Kaludra?
Mala Kaludra is associated with one of the most serious cases of enforced disappearances during the Kosovo war.
According to previous reports, on April 19, 1999, 23 Albanians—known as the “Group of Intellectuals,” most of whom were from the Mitrovica region—were abducted in the Drenica and Kaludra area of the municipality of Zubin Potok. More than 27 years later, their fate remains unknown.
Kosovo institutions have repeatedly stated that official documentation points to the involvement of the Yugoslav Army in the crime, while also calling for cooperation and the opening of archives in order to fully clarify the case.
Excavations at the site are expected to contribute to shedding light on one of the most serious wartime cases, while the families of the missing continue to search for truth and justice.
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Source: Beta; Foto: EPA-EFE / GEORGI LICOVSKI