Excavations in Zubin Potok for remains of missing persons from the Kosovo conflict

On Tuesday, law enforcement forces in Kosovo began exhumation work in a village in the northern part of the country, where a mass grave with human remains linked to the 1998-1999 war is suspected to exist.

Arbnora Luta, spokesperson for the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, confirmed that the operation was undertaken at the request of this institution and with permission issued by the Basic Court in Pristina.

According to subsequent information published by the Prosecution, the two individuals arrested on Tuesday in the Mitrovica area, citizens with the initials M.J. and M.B., are suspected of being involved in this war crimes case.

“The court decision is being implemented for the extraction, examination, and documentation of mortal remains at a specific location in the territory of Zubin Potok Municipality,” she said, adding that it is still early to speak about other details due to the active phase of the excavations.

In its statement, the Prosecution emphasized that the entire process is carried out in full respect of the court order and professional and international standards for victim identification and evidence collection, with the presence of responsible bodies and field specialists.

In a recent period, institutions have conducted excavations several times at various locations, uncovering remains believed to belong to missing persons from the last war in Kosovo.

Statistics show that around 13,000 people lost their lives during the 1998-1999 conflict, while more than 1,500 others are still considered missing. The majority of the victims were defenseless Albanians.

In 2023, Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on a Joint Declaration on Missing Persons, as part of EU-mediated normalization talks. It provided for unrestricted access to information, including classified data, the provision of essential documents to clarify the fate of the missing, and coordination through an EU-led commission.

Nevertheless, all these commitments remain on paper, as none of the agreed points have seen implementation in practice.

Earlier this year, the inaugural meeting of the Joint Commission for Missing Persons from the Kosovo war was organized, but it ended without any concrete progress.