Prishtina, 8 May 2026
Today, the Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, received the Executive Director of the Institute for Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo (ICCW), Atdhe Hetemi, who submitted the Institute’s six-month work report for the period November 2025 – May 2026.
During the meeting, discussions focused on the progress achieved in documenting, researching, and institutionalizing historical memory regarding crimes committed during the war in Kosovo, as well as on the importance of strengthening state capacities in the service of transitional justice and the preservation of historical truth.
Director Hetemi informed the Acting Prime Minister about the Institute’s key projects and developments during this period, among which particular emphasis was placed on the preparation of databases of victims of the last war in Kosovo, a database of massacres, and a database of mass graves — processes of special state and historical importance that are being undertaken for the first time in the Republic of Kosovo in a centralized, verified, and institutional manner. It was emphasized that these databases will serve as a sustainable foundation for documentation, scientific research, education, and the institutional addressing of war crimes.
The discussion also covered the expansion and consolidation of the Institute’s archival and library collections, the advancement of processes for verification and systematization of documentary materials, as well as cooperation with local and international institutions in the field of transitional justice and collective memory.
The meeting also highlighted the organization of the international conference “From War to Recovery: A Multidisciplinary Approach Towards Kosovo’s War Trauma,” with the participation of more than 200 researchers, experts, and institutional representatives from Kosovo, the region, and abroad, as evidence of the academic and international scope of the Institute’s work.
Acting Prime Minister Kurti thanked Director Hetemi and the Institute’s staff for their dedication and work, appreciating the role of the ICCW in documenting war crimes, preserving historical memory, and building a reliable factual basis for future generations. He stressed that justice for victims, institutional documentation, and the protection of historical truth remain a state and societal obligation of the Republic of Kosovo.
