Prishtina, November 11, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, visited today the Institute of Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo (ICCK) where he was welcomed by the Executive Director Atdhe Hetemi, who presented and handed over the Institute’s 1-year work report.
During this visit, Prime Minister Kurti, along with ministers Xhelal Sveçla, Albulena Haxhiu, and the Deputy Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, Saranda Bogujevci, accompanied by Director Hetemi, also visited the archival depot of ICCK.
Prime Minister Kurti expressed gratitude to Mr. Hetemi and his 30-member staff for their hospitality, the efforts made to date, and for handing over the work report. He had the opportunity to closely observe how the materials are being preserved and to be informed in detail about the plans for the digitization of archival materials and documents, which, if arranged as folders vertically, would reach a length of 189.5 meters and about 15 Terabytes. Terabytes of materials including video recordings, audio recordings, and photographs that have been collected over the past nine months from 67 different sources. Among these sources are ministries, municipalities, non-governmental organizations, journalists, human rights activists, as well as various collectors.
Deemed as a crucial and decisive endeavor for both our history and justice, the Prime Minister highlighted that through this, on one side, we grasp the historical truth in its accurate measure, whereas on the other side, this place serves as a significant address for both local and international justice to ensure that victims are rehabilitated and compensated since absent justice is ongoing injustice.
Prime Minister Kurti also expressed his gratitude to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics for including in the latest population census a question about the damages, sufferings, and losses experienced by our citizens during the war, as well as to the State Agency of Archives of Kosovo for collaborating with the Institute and contributing to this outcome, which was presented in the form of a 1-year report.
The Executive Director of the Institute, Atdhe Hetemi, stated that it was an honor and privilege to have the visit of Prime Minister Kurti, to whom he handed over the annual report, expressing hope that they will continue to have the support of the Government for the year 2025 and achieve even greater successes.
Prime Minister Kurti’s full statement:
I am thankful to the Director of the Institute for Crimes Committed during the War in Kosovo, Atdhe Hetemi, for the warm welcome, for the delivery of the Annual Report, and for the conversation we had, both with him and with his colleagues and the staff overall, a team of 30 people, where three are PhD candidates, and four hold doctorates, and when I recall nine months ago, we were here with Ahmet Graicevci, who is the Chairman of the Council of Associations of Families of the Missing, and the first folders were handed over, and what I saw today was this. I cannot help but commend both the director and all his colleagues here for the great work they have done.
Today I came along with the Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, and the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Saranda Bogujevci, who herself is a survivor of the Bogujevci, Duriqi, and Xhemshiti family massacre in Podujevë. On this occasion, I observed how the materials are being preserved, the plans for digitizing these materials and documents, which, if we were to stack them as folders, would form a series 189 meters long or, in other words, 15.8 terabytes. So, 15.8 terabytes of information have been collected over these nine months, including videos, audio recordings, photographs, and also various texts, which would stretch to a length of 189 meters if these folders were lined up vertically, and they are kept securely here.
Altogether, 67 sources have been used to gather the material and documentation. This includes ministries, municipalities, non-governmental organizations, journalists, human rights activists, as well as various collectors who have submitted their materials to the institute of crimes committed during the war in Kosovo. This is a crucial and pivotal work for our history as well as for justice, since on one side, we grasp the historical truth in its precise extent through these documents, while on the other side, it also serves as a significant address for both local and international justice, allowing for the rehabilitation and compensation of victims, as absent justice perpetuates injustice.
Once again, thank you very much, Director, and I hope that more and more citizens who have their collections of documentation and various evidence materials regarding the crimes committed during the war in Kosovo will come to this address. I thank all those who are preserving these documents and materials because it is valuable work they are doing for the state of Kosovo. I also thank the Kosovo Agency of Statistics for including in the latest population census the question about the damages, sufferings, and losses experienced by our citizens during the war, and I also thank the State Agency of Archives of Kosovo for contributing to this result in cooperation with the institute, which today was given to me in the form of a 1-year report.
Last modified: November 15, 2024