Human remains uncovered during excavations at the North Mitrovica cemetery

On October 27, forensic teams from the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IFM), with the participation of EULEX experts, carried out assessment excavations in part of the city cemetery in North Mitrovica, in an area known as the “Muslim Cemetery.” The activity was conducted as part of institutional efforts to establish the fate and whereabouts of people who were forcibly disappeared during the war, with the support of the Government Commission on Missing Persons (GCMP) and the Police Directorate for the Investigation of War Crimes (DHIWC), through its Missing Persons Unit.

The October 27 excavations continued the assessment work that began at the same location on October 20. The operation was carried out under a court order issued following a request by the Police Directorate for the Investigation of War Crimes, submitted through the Prosecutor’s Office’s War Crimes Department.

During the work, bone remains of forensic interest were found and exhumed. They may belong to victims of the war. The remains have been sent to the IFM for the relevant examinations, including DNA analysis, to establish their identity.

The announcement said that the Government Commission on Missing Persons, together with the IFM, the Police Directorate for the Investigation of War Crimes and other institutions involved, would continue to prioritize all information that could help establish the fate and whereabouts of people who were forcibly disappeared during the war in Kosovo.