Prishtina, 12 June 2025
Marking the 26th anniversary of Kosovo’s Liberation Day, as part of the state agenda, today, the Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Donika Gërvalla, Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Sveçla, and other members of the government cabinet, paid tribute at the grave of former President Ibrahim Rugova, the grave of activist Adem Demaçi, and the gravesites at the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex in Prekaz.
“We are here together with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gërvalla, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the liberation of Kosovo—the day when peace began for our country and our people—to lay fresh flowers at the grave of the historic President Ibrahim Rugova, a major contributor to the unity of our people and to the internationalization of Kosovo and the national cause more broadly throughout the 1990s and beyond,” said the Prime Minister after the tributes at President Rugova’s grave.
After paying respects at the grave of activist Adem Demaçi—the symbol of resistance, the “Nelson Mandela of the Albanian nation and of Europe,” as Prime Minister Kurti described him—he stated:
“Today, on the Day of Liberation and Peace, we also laid fresh flowers at the grave of Uncle Adem, as a symbol of our resistance, and as a tireless activist who never held back and gave everything for the betterment of our country and our people.”
From the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex in Prekaz, the Prime Minister said:
“Every year on June 12th, we return to Prekaz, this place which represents the capital of our uprising, the home of the extraordinary Jashari family—so extraordinary as to be unrepeatable—and of Commander-in-Chief Adem Jashari, commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which carried the banner of freedom, a process that, 26 years ago, was accompanied by NATO air intervention against Serbia—the enemy, aggressor, occupier, and above all, anti-Albanian chauvinist.”
The Prime Minister expressed that on June 12, we are filled with pride for our achievements, for the state and freedom we now enjoy, but also with longing and sorrow for those sons and daughters who are no longer with us—because they were the best of us, and they sacrificed themselves for the liberation of the country and the freedom of our people.
Congratulations to all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo and the entire Albanian nation on this Day of Liberation and Peace. Glory to all martyrs and heroes, to all activists and political leaders throughout the different phases of Kosovo’s journey for freedom, justice, and prosperity!
Full statement of Prime Minister Kurti after paying tribute at the grave of former President Dr. Ibrahim Rugova:
“We are here together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gërvalla, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of Kosovo’s liberation—the day when peace began in our country and for our people—to lay fresh flowers at the grave of the historic President, Ibrahim Rugova, a major contributor to the unity of the people and to the internationalization of Kosovo and the national cause in general throughout the 1990s and beyond.
After these tributes, we will continue to the grave of the symbol of resistance—the Nelson Mandela of the Albanian nation and of Europe—Adem Demaçi, and then on to the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex and the graves of Commander-in-Chief Adem Jashari and the Jashari family, marking in this way both our joy for liberation and our remembrance of those who worked and sacrificed for the freedom we now have and for the state we are building and developing today.
Glory to all martyrs, national heroes, activists, and political leaders of all phases of Kosovo’s struggle for freedom, justice, and prosperity!”
Full statement of Prime Minister Kurti after paying tribute at the grave of activist Adem Demaçi:
“Uncle Adem—Adem Demaçi—when he was released from prison, said: ‘I’ve come out of a small prison into a large one called Kosovo,’ because we were under Serbia’s brutal occupation, with a chauvinist, anti-Albanian regime that had installed apartheid against us.
Therefore, Liberation Day—June 12th—is also like the breaking of that large prison called Kosovo, because our people were liberated, and all armed police and military forces of Serbia were withdrawing. Thus, today, on the Day of Liberation and Peace, we laid fresh flowers also at Uncle Adem’s grave, as a symbol of our resistance, and as a tireless activist who never held back and gave everything for the good and betterment of our country and our people.
Glory to all martyrs, national heroes, and activists of the national cause.”
Full statement of Prime Minister Kurti after paying tribute at the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex:
“Congratulations to all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo and to the entire Albanian nation on the Day of Liberation and Peace.
Every year on June 12th, we return to Prekaz, this place that represents the capital of our uprising, the home of the extraordinary Jashari family—so extraordinary that they are unrepeatable—and of Commander-in-Chief Adem Jashari, leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which carried the process of liberation forward. That process, 26 years ago, was accompanied by NATO air intervention against Serbia—the enemy, aggressor, occupier, and above all, anti-Albanian chauvinist.
On June 12, we are filled with pride for our achievements, for the state and the freedom we enjoy, but also with longing and sorrow for those sons and daughters who are no longer with us—they were the best of us, and they sacrificed themselves for the liberation of the country and the freedom of the people.
Glory to Commander-in-Chief Adem Jashari and to all martyrs and heroes of the Albanian nation.”
