Kathryne Bomberger, general director of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in an exclusive piece for the paper writes that even with all the work done, around 1665 people still remain missing from the conflict in Kosovo – and this is why the efforts to find them must be a priority. After the conflict, Bomberger writes, the rule of law is being substantially challenged. “Citizens question the credibility of the authorities that cannot or do not take steps to bring to justice those who are responsible for the missing persons. To find the missing means to help the survivors, but also to respect the rule of law; it is to ensure that those responsible will face justice. It is to prevent any attempt to cover up the crimes or deny what happened,” Bomberger writes.
According to her, illegal cemeteries are crime scenes. “They contain facts which can be used in court. Finding the missing helps citizens to realize their rights to truth, justice and compensation. This does not apply only to citizens who lost their loved ones. It applies to all citizens – because justice denied for some is justice denied to all. According to local and international laws, the survivors have the right to know the truth about what happened to their loved ones. The authorities cannot choose whether to support the efforts to find the missing, they are obliged to do so. Police, legal officers and others – to the head of the government – have an obligation to support the families of the missing. And this support must go beyond expressing sympathy.
Since 1999, the ICMP has assisted Kosovo authorities in finding the missing persons. We have helped with identifications based on DNA, initially through cooperation with UNMIK and after that with EULEX. ICMP also calls on Kosovo government for more support to strengthen the capacity of the government commission on missing persons and for coordination of a strategic approach in finding missing persons. To achieve this, the government needs to ensure that families, regardless of their ethnic origin, religion or their role during the conflict, have equal rights to truth, justice and compensation – meaning the adoption and implementation of laws. Government should also expedite investigations and judicial proceedings concerning cases of missing persons.”
