Missing Persons Commission: Lack of documentation and limited access are making the verification of mass graves more complicated

The Government Commission on Missing Persons has announced that it has followed the public statements of human rights activist Natasha Kandić and that any data that could help clarify the fate of people who went missing during the war in Kosovo is taken with the utmost seriousness.

Speaking to ‘Bota sot’, Kushtrim Gara, head of the Unit at the Government Commission on Missing Persons, said the locations mentioned still remain among the areas considered of interest and a priority for verification.

“Aware of Ms. Natasha Kandić’s public statements, the Commission values any information that may contribute to shedding light on the fate and whereabouts of persons forcibly disappeared during the war in Kosovo. The locations mentioned also continue to be among the areas of interest and priority for verification,” Kushtrim Gara, head of the Unit at the Government Commission on Missing Persons, told ‘Bota sot’.

According to Gara, the investigative work carried out so far regarding mass graves has shown that in certain cases state structures were used to conceal the bodies of war victims.

“Our experience, including the confirmation so far of five mass graves on the territory of Serbia, has shown that facilities and structures under the control of the Serbian state apparatus were used to hide the bodies of war victims,” the Commission stressed.

However, the institution says that checking suspected locations continues to be a complicated process, especially when it comes to military areas where access is limited.

“These are large military complexes with restricted access, therefore their verification is challenging and is made more difficult by the lack of documentation and the lack of full cooperation in allowing assessment excavations,” it further said.

The Government Commission on Missing Persons also stressed that it will continue efforts to secure access to all information and archives related to this issue, within the framework of international commitments.

“We will continue to seek access to the documentation of the former Yugoslav Army and the relevant institutions of Serbia, in line with the Joint Declaration on Missing Persons of May 2, 2023. Only through this access can the process of clarifying the fate of missing persons move forward,” the response said.