There are 1.654 persons still missing in Kosovo and Metohija, amongst whom and 535 Serbs and other non-Albanians, said the chairperson of the Serbian Government’s Missing Persons Commission, Veljko Odalovic, on the commemoration of 16 years from kidnappings and killing of more than 50 civilians in Istok/Istog Municipality in Metohija.
“It is about huge figure, no matter that we managed to resolve 1.700 cases,” said Odalovic at a commemoration labeled “Sad Reminder on Innocent Victims from Istok in June 1999”.
“What is not understandable and not clear to many is the fact that massive and individual kidnappings, rapes, tortures and forced disappearing of thousands of innocent Serb civilians took place exactly in the period when forces of KFOR and UNMIK took over the mandate to protect all residents of Kosovo and Metohija, no matter on their ethnic or religious affiliation,” said chairperson of the Association of Kosovo Victims Natasa Scepanovic.
She stressed that KFOR and UNMIK, not only that they didn’t manage to protect Kosovo Serbs and non-Albanians, instead, according to many witnesses’ testimonies, directly participated in the crimes by not protecting victims. “Thus, it is our obligation on the commemoration of 16 years from suffering of innocent civilians from Istok to remind domestic and international public about the fact that all of them have lost their lives only because they were Serbs,” said Scepanovic.
