Hoti Accuses Serbia of Sabotaging Efforts to Uncover the Fate of the Missing

Andin Hoti, acting minister for Labor, Family and the Values of the Liberation War, has reacted to the arrest in Serbia of a person suspected of helping locate a mass grave in Kosovo.

According to Hoti, the move constitutes an “attempt to kill the truth.”

“The fact that a person has been arrested on suspicion of contributing to the discovery of a mass grave in Kosovo clearly shows that Serbia, instead of fighting war crimes, is trying to fight the truth,” he wrote.

Hoti said Serbia continues to protect criminals, intimidate witnesses and obstruct the process of clarifying the fate of missing persons.

“The message conveyed by every arrest of this kind is clear: anyone who speaks about mass graves is punished,” Hoti said.

He stressed that this was not simply a lack of cooperation, but “direct sabotage of the process to uncover the fate of missing persons.” According to him, such conduct also runs counter to the spirit of the Declaration on Missing Persons agreed upon in Brussels.

Hoti also criticized the European Union, accusing it of “inaction.”

“There can be no claim of upholding European values, reconciliation and dialogue while, at the same time, actions aimed at intimidating witnesses and protecting the concealment of war crimes are tolerated,” he said.

On behalf of the families of more than 1,570 people who remain missing, Hoti called for justice and increased pressure on Serbia.

“By remaining silent and tolerating such conduct, the families are not brought closer to the truth, but pushed even further away from it,” Hoti concluded.