Mehmeti against Vučić: Denial of the humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo defies wartime evidence

Opinionist Gani Mehmeti has challenged a statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who denied that a humanitarian catastrophe had occurred in Kosovo. According to Mehmeti, such a position contradicts the reality of the war and the crimes committed against Kosovo Albanians.

He said he was not surprised by Vučić’s statements, but by the fact that there may still be people who believe them. Mehmeti said the Serbian president was ignoring the direct testimonies of survivors, as well as reports and documents from international organizations.

“For Vučić, it would not be a humanitarian catastrophe even if all the Albanians of the Republic of Kosovo were killed. I am not surprised by what he says, but by those who can still believe him,” Mehmeti told “Bota sot.”

Mehmeti recalled that during 1998 and 1999, international institutions and organizations had the opportunity to document the consequences of the war in Kosovo. He stressed that there was extensive evidence of expulsions, killings and destruction.

According to him, after NATO began its bombing campaign on March 24, 1999, attacks by Serbian forces and paramilitary formations against Albanian civilians increased significantly.

He wrote that, in retaliation for the bombing of military and police targets, Serbian forces turned against the innocent Albanian population. According to his account, Albanians were pursued from house to house; those who did not flee were killed, while homes and economic buildings were set on fire.

The opinionist also mentioned the massacres carried out against civilians during their expulsion. He said Albanians faced violence even as they tried to flee toward the mountains or Kosovo’s borders.

“Numerous massacres were also carried out in columns as Albanians fled toward the mountains and wherever the Serbs saw an opportunity. These crimes, numbering in the hundreds, began with the family of legendary commander Adem Jashari in 1998 and continued during NATO’s bombing campaign, from March 24 to June 20, 1999,” Mehmeti said.

He also linked the humanitarian catastrophe to the scale of the displacement of the Albanian population. According to him, a large portion of the population was forced to leave Kosovo for Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro, while the rest sought shelter in the mountains and highlands.

“How can it be said that there was no humanitarian catastrophe when around half of the Albanian population was expelled to Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro, while the other half, including elderly men, elderly women, children and the sick, was forced to take shelter in the mountains and highlands?” he wrote.

Mehmeti emphasized that those displaced within Kosovo lived in extremely difficult conditions. According to him, the lack of food, medicine, doctors and shelter further worsened the situation of civilians.

He also cited the number of Albanian victims, stressing that around 13,000 Albanians were killed during the war. Among them, according to Mehmeti, were people of different ages, from 90-year-old elderly people to newborn babies.

“Around 13,000 Albanians were killed by the Serbs, including 90-year-old elderly people and newborn babies, who could not have been members of the Kosovo Liberation Army. They were killed simply because they were Albanian,” Mehmeti said.

In conclusion, the opinionist intensified his criticism of the Serbian president even further. He claimed that the denial of the humanitarian catastrophe was directly linked to Vučić’s hatred of Albanians.

“I state clearly that, for Vučić, there would be no humanitarian catastrophe even if not a single Albanian remained alive in Kosovo. In my view, this is a consequence of his profound hatred of Albanians,” Mehmeti concluded.