Blakaj: Opening Serbian Archives Requires EU Pressure on Belgrade

Bekim Blakaj, executive director of the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo, has commented on the excavations in Kalludër, Zubin Potok, and efforts to determine the fate of people who went missing during the war in Kosovo.

Speaking on Klan Kosova’s Info Magazine program, Blakaj described the arrest of a witness who had provided important information about the location of human remains as concerning.

According to him, the witness had helped provide information to clarify the fate of at least 23 people who went missing during the war in Kosovo. Blakaj said the suspicion that he had committed espionage demonstrates a lack of political will and shows that the issue is not being treated as a humanitarian matter.

He stressed that, even 27 years after the end of the war, such an approach creates the impression that there is an intention to conceal facts and information about the serious crimes committed during that period.

Blakaj also devoted part of the discussion to Serbian military files. He said the Kosovo authorities should not limit themselves solely to requesting the file of the 37th Motorized Brigade.

Blakaj recalled that this file became known after the Humanitarian Law Center requested access to it, while it had been classified as a state secret.

He said there must be hundreds of other files related to various brigades, military units, and joint police structures. For this reason, according to him, the Kosovo authorities should first identify these documents and then request that all of them be opened, rather than just one file.

Blakaj also spoke about the European Union’s responsibility for implementing the Kosovo-Serbia agreements on missing persons. He explained that the joint declaration and the general agreement give the EU a monitoring role, while the possibility of punitive measures is also provided for in cases of non-implementation.

However, he said the European Union has not yet been seen to exercise this role. Blakaj added that, at least publicly, no sanctions against Serbia have been observed over its failure to implement the agreement, and that he was not aware of the United States of America having taken any such action either.