Family confirms identification of Idriz Rrecaj in Zubin Potok mass graves

The family of Idriz Rrecaj announced on Sunday that he is one of three people identified through DNA analysis, after mortal remains were exhumed from mass graves in northern Kosovo several weeks ago.

Rrecaj, declared a “Hero of Kosovo” in 2019, was a political activist and part of a group of 23 Albanians known as the “group of intellectuals,” who disappeared during the escalation of the war by Serbian forces.

His son, Shpëtim Rreci, wrote on Facebook that after 27 years of waiting, pain, and uncertainty, institutions confirmed the identification of his father through the DNA laboratory in The Hague. He added that the question “Where is Idriz Rrecaj?” has come to an end and that “blood never disappears.”

This announcement came one day after Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated that the first three victims from the mass graves in Kalludër and Jabukë of Zubin Potok, found about two months ago, had been identified.

According to Kurti, DNA reports confirmed that the three victims belong to the “group of intellectuals,” mainly residents from Skenderaj and Mitrovica, who were kidnapped and forcibly disappeared by Serbian forces on April 19, 1999. The prime minister did not mention their names.

Radio Free Europe had visited the family of Idriz Rrecaj in Skenderaj in August, when authorities had indicated that the remains found could belong to the group he was part of.

His daughter, Flora Rrecaj, told Radio Free Europe on August 30 that she and other family members had searched for him for 27 years through prison lists in Serbia, testimonies, unverified information, and places where mortal remains were occasionally discovered. While awaiting the DNA results, she described mixed feelings of pain, hope, and fear, but emphasized that the truth is essential and very necessary.

The identity of the two other victims is still unknown. The mass graves were discovered in Zubin Potok after a two-year investigation into suspected war crimes, and remains of at least 23 people were found there.

At the end of last month, Kosovo authorities sent samples of the remains to The Hague in the Netherlands. Kurti said Kosovo awaits the other DNA reports “in the coming days and weeks.”

The Special Prosecution of Kosovo is investigating four people with initials J.R., M.J., R.K., and M.B. in this case, suspected of war crimes against the civilian population, who are in detention.

According to the Institute of Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo, 1,577 people remain missing from the 1998-1999 period, while the total number of war victims is 12,230. Kosovo has repeatedly asked Serbia for cooperation to clarify the fate of missing persons and access to military archives that could help locate possible graves.