How the remains of Mitrovica’s “Group of Intellectuals” were discovered in Zubin Potok

New information has emerged about excavations at three sites in the municipality of Zubin Potok, where human remains believed to belong to at least 23 victims of Kosovo’s most recent war have been discovered.

Agron Limani, head of the Government Commission on Missing Persons, said that searches for these individuals had begun earlier, but that a lack of accurate data had prevented the burial sites from being identified.

According to Limani, this time the institutions obtained reliable information from people who knew the locations of the graves. The sites are two locations in Kalludër and one in Jabukë.

Human remains belonging to 13 people were found at the first site, those of six people at the second, and those of seven people at the third.

Limani made the remarks during a public discussion held on Monday by Pro Peace Kosova and Integra, in cooperation with the Barabar Center, as part of events marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

According to him, previous efforts to uncover the fate of the missing had not produced concrete results because of a lack of reliable information. He said that securing three precise locations had enabled the excavations to begin and the human remains to be discovered.

The next step is expected to be taken by the Institute of Forensic Medicine, which will carry out identification through DNA analysis and anthropological examinations.

Dion Haliti, a forensic medicine official, said that after the results are obtained, a further assessment of the remains will also be conducted. Only after this process will family members be informed about the identification of their relatives.

The institute will also perform autopsies to determine the damage to the bones, as well as the cause and manner of death. The report and findings will be submitted to the State Prosecutor’s Office, which will continue the criminal proceedings.

Haliti explained that, if there are no obstacles to extracting DNA profiles from the bone samples, the identification process could be completed within a period of up to three months.

He stressed that the process would include a reassessment of the human remains based on the results of the DNA and anthropological analyses, as well as autopsies to document the injuries and determine the cause and manner of death. According to him, experience from similar cases shows that the procedure can take up to three months if no problems arise with the bone samples.

The Ministry of Justice has called for the discovery of the remains not to be limited to identifying the victims, but also to serve to establish responsibility for crimes committed during the war.

Baki Svirca said that the discovery of these individuals was important not only for their families but for society as a whole, as it creates evidence and facts for documenting the events of the war.

According to Svirca, identifying the victims is only part of the answers the families are waiting for. He stressed that, in addition to finding the remains, justice for the victims and a full clarification of responsibility are also needed.

Mitrovica’s “Group of Intellectuals,” made up of 23 people, disappeared in April 1999. It included doctors, professors, lawyers and professionals from other fields.