Gjilan, 17 January 2026
Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, following commemorations in Dubovik of Decan on the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the killing of Jusuf and Bardhosh Gervalla and a visit to the home of the Kadri Zeka family, attended the “Flaka e Janarit” Academy, which is dedicated to the Recak Massacre, held at the City Theatre in Gjilan.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister emphasized that “Flaka e Janarit” initially began as a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the killing of the three political activists and steadfast patriots Jusuf and Bardhosh Gervalla and Kadri Zeka, killed on 17 January 1982 in Germany by the Yugoslav secret service. The festival also came to encompass the remembrance of Rexhep Malaj and Nuhi Berisha, killed by the Yugoslav police on 11 January 1984 in Prishtina.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of preserving tradition, for cultivating national values and building on strong foundations those walls from which our social edifice rises, namely our home, the Republic of Kosovo.
“Even the very breaks in tradition are part of it, such as in 1999, when in the eighth edition of “Flaka e Janarit”, the program of this festival was shortened because on 15 January 1999, Serbian police forces carried out a massacre in the village of Recak in Sthimje, killing 45 unprotected and unarmed civilians. 27 years later, the commemorative academy of “Flaka e Janarit” is dedicated to the Recak Massacre, to the remembrance and honoring of the victims and martyrs who fell there, in the just war of our people for the liberation of Kosovo from hostile, occupier and oppressive Serbia,” said the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Kurti underscored the need to honour the unique role of Ambassador William Walker, who witnessed and denounced the Recak Massacre as a crime against humanity. It was precisely Ambassador Walker’s statement that made the truth about Serbia’s state crimes in Kosovo clear to the world.
“Amid memories full of respect for the fallen, with the deepest gratitude for the living and the heirs, and believing that our common journey, starting from honoring the past, leads us to building the future, allow me to express my highest considerations, as Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, for your and our suffering, pain and losses, as sacrifices for the freedom in which we remember, develop and advance our shared country today,” the Prime Minister concluded his remarks.
Full speech of Prime Minister Kurti:
Honoured families of the heroes Zeka, Gervalla, Malaj, Berisha and Shemsiu,
Honoured families of the martyrs and fallen of the nation,
Honoured fellow fighters and associates of the heroes of the war for freedom,
Honoured war invalids and veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army,
Honoured Mayor of Gjilan, Mr Alban Hyseni,
Honoured colleagues from the Assembly and the Government of Kosovo,
Honoured survivors and family members of the victims of the Recak Massacre,
Honoured citizens of Gjilan and Anamorava,
Ladies and gentlemen,
On the endless road called history, on that path of peoples who aspire to the development of their civilisation and the continuous progress of society, building strong foundations and preserving established traditions is a key prerequisite. Who, for instance, could have imagined in January 1992, when “Flaka e Janarit” was organised for the first time, that this cultural and national festival would endure for so long, becoming a traditional event that has brought us together here in Gjilan this evening, 34 years later.
“Flaka e Janarit” initially began as a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the killing of the three political activists and unwavering patriots Jusuf and Bardhosh Gervalla and Kadri Zeka, killed on 17 January 1982 in Germany by the Yugoslav secret service. Around this festival, the remembrance was also joined for the fall of Rexhep Malaj and Nuhi Berisha, killed by the Yugoslav police on 11 January 1984 in Prishtina.
A week ago, we commemorated Rexhep Malaj and Nuhi Berisha with honours, while today we are coming to this gathering and academy from the home of the Kadri Zeka family, where we were together with Mayor Hyseni, while earlier in the day we were in Dubovik of Decan, at the museum tower of Jusuf and Bardhosh Gervalla, together with Ms Donika Gervalla, the daughter of Jusuf Gervalla, currently also Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.
These journeys of ours, these visits and meetings, these places and these people, these dates and events linked by the past, are precisely what I wish to emphasise this evening. I am referring to the importance of preserving tradition, cultivating national values, and building on strong foundations those walls from which our social edifice rises, namely our home called the Republic of Kosovo. For it is precisely under the roof of this shared home that all the people of our homeland and our friends find shelter, together with the stories shared among us from our collective memory. And it is precisely from them that our shared cultural, political and historical knowledge and awareness are formed, within which we live as political and human beings, fulfilling ourselves as individuals and as a community.
Even the very breaks in tradition are part of it, such as in 1999, when in the eighth edition of “Flaka e Janarit”, the programme of this festival was shortened because on 15 January 1999, Serbian police forces carried out a massacre in the village of Recak in Shtime, killing 45 unprotected and unarmed civilians. 27 years later, the commemorative academy of “Flaka e Janarit” is dedicated to the Recak Massacre, to the remembrance and honoring of the victims and martyrs who fell there, in the just war of our people for the liberation of Kosovo from hostile, occupier and oppressive Serbia.
Our people who were killed and who fell in the past, the stories of their commitment and fate, are knots around which our journeys of remembrance and contribution for future generations revolve and are connected. We remember and honour the fallen, by keeping us, the living, close to one another. Therefore, on this occasion, we should remember the unique role of Ambassador William Walker, who witnessed and denounced the Recak Massacre as a crime against humanity.
On this occasion, I join the well-wishes for the health of his wife, who, due to a health problem, perhaps even cardiac arrest, is being treated in the emergency unit in the Municipality of Vitia, and we hope for her full and swift recovery.
It was precisely this statement by Ambassador Walker that, in 1999, made the truth about Serbia’s state crimes in Kosovo clear to the world. Whereas in our time, it falls to us to trace and study this massacre, in the political and geopolitical context, in the chronology of recent history, by denouncing its masterminds and perpetrators before justice and by leaving the history of the Recak Massacre told and written for all generations and for humanity.
And finally, the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo, in December 2025, i.e. last month, filed an indictment against 21 persons in connection with this massacre.
Amid memories full of respect for the fallen, with the deepest gratitude for the living and the heirs, and believing that our common journey, starting from honoring the past, leads us to building the future, allow me to express my highest considerations, as Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, for your and our suffering, pain and losses, as sacrifices for the freedom in which we remember, develop and advance our shared country today.
Glory to the martyrs and fallen of the nation.
Thank you for your participation and attention!
