Association for Missing Persons has expressed its dissatisfaction due to the fact that even after 17 years no one was brought to justice for attacks, maltreating, kidnappings and murders of civilians on the territory of Orahovac/Rahovec municipality in the period 1998-2000, and announced a commemoration service for victims on 17 July in Belgrade and Velika Hoca in Kosovo.
“If 17 years were too little to gather evidences on crimes, we are wondering how much time will they need to bring perpetrators to justice,” said chairperson of the Association Verica Tomanovic in a communiqué.
She reminded on tragic events in the period of 11-22 July 1998 on the territory of Orahovac/Rahovec in Kosovo when more than 100 Serbs and Roma, mostly civilians, were kidnapped by the Kosovo Liberation Army and taken to prison camps. Communiqué further reads that seven people were killed during the attack and entire population of villages Retimlje, Opterusa, Zociste was taken to KLA prison camps. “We introduced with this all relevant institutions that were gathering information about kidnapped, missing and murdered,” said Tomanović.
Communiqué further reads that 35 hostages, that were kept imprisoned by the KLA in the St Healers Monastery in Zociste, were released through assistance of the ICRC on 22 July 1998, and added that thanks to that event there are witnessed who described tragic events in that period.
