Shtime, 15 January 2026
Following the tributes at the Memorial Complex in Recak as part of the marking of the 27th anniversary of the Recak Massacre, the commemorative academy was held at the House of Culture in the Municipality of Shtime.
Expressing deep sorrow for the victims, Prime Minister Kurti, at the beginning of his speech, said that the Republic of Kosovo where we live freely today has its roots in the spilled blood of martyrs and fallen heroes, in the war of the Kosovo Liberation Army, in the sacrifice and resistance of our freedom-loving people.
It was precisely Recak, Prime Minister Kurti said, at the center of the judicial proceedings against Slobodan Milosevic before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, demonstrating that the crimes in Kosovo were part of Serbia’s state policy of violence against the Albanian civilian population. Although this process did not conclude with a verdict due to Milosevic’s death, the facts and evidence regarding Recak remained recorded in international justice, as confirmation that the truth about these crimes cannot be denied, and that justice, however delayed, remains a moral and historical obligation.
“With deep gratitude, today and always, we are also thankful to all friends and international partners who stood on the side of truth in those dark days for Kosovo. The Recak Massacre awakened the international conscience and led to NATO’s intervention. The support and action of the international community remain an inseparable part of the history of Kosovo’s state-building together with the glorious war of the KLA,” the Prime Minister said.
Regarding Ambassador William Walker, who was present, the Prime Minister said that he has an important place in the modern history of the Republic of Kosovo and, above all, a special place in our hearts. “In a period when the truth about Kosovo was often overlooked or faded in international discourse, you articulated clearly and responsibly the reality of the crimes committed by Serbia. You have left this testimony as a legacy through the memoir book, compiled under the title “Racak: the Story of a War Crime”, for which I congratulate you once again,” he further stated.
As part of the long-term state commitment, the Prime Minister emphasized the establishment by law of the Institute for the Documentation of Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo. This institute is a necessary mechanism for confronting the past and for building a sustainable foundation of truth regarding war crimes, crimes against humanity, and Serbia’s genocide in Kosovo. He added that, in fulfilling the obligation for justice, we have also built the legal framework to enable trials in absentia for war crimes, highlighting here the filing of an indictment against 21 persons for the Recak Massacre, for war crimes, an indictment which affirms that the crime has perpetrators and that the truth does not become time-barred.
“May the memory be eternal of the martyrs and fallen heroes of Recak and of those in general of our entire nation, who fell for the freedom we enjoy today and the state we have! Glory!”, the Prime Minister concluded his remarks.
Full Speech of Prime Minister Kurti:
Honorable President of the Republic of Kosovo, Ms. Vjosa Osmani Sadriu,
Honorable Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Dimal Basha,
Honorable Ambassador William Walker,
Honorable Members of Parliament, colleagues from the executive and legislative branches of our country, leaders and representatives of state institutions,
Honorable Deputy Commander of the KSF, General Enver Cikaqi,
Honorable military personnel and police officers of our army and police,
Honorable Mayor of the Municipality of Shtime, Mr. Qemajl Aliu,
Honorable Head of the village of Recak, Mr. Adem Ramadani,
Your Excellencies, ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives of friendly countries accredited in Kosovo,
Honorable Chairperson of the Municipality of Presevo, Ardita Sinani,
Honorable Lulzim Jashari, son of the Commander-in-Chief of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Adem Jashari,
Honorable families of the fallen heroes and martyrs of the nation,
Honorable disabled members and veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army,
Honorable representatives of organizations that emerged from the war,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sisters and brothers,
We have gathered in Recak to honor the memory of the 45 people killed on 15 January 1999.
We are together, on the 27th anniversary, to fulfill our human and state responsibilities that transcend time: the obligation to memory, to truth, and to justice.
Dear family members of those killed in the Recak massacre,
Honorable children and descendants of martyrs and fallen heroes here in Recak,
Today we bow to you with profound respect. Your pain is our pain. Our state, the Republic of Kosovo where we live freely today, has its roots in the spilled blood of martyrs and fallen heroes, in the war of the Kosovo Liberation Army, in the sacrifice and resistance of our freedom-loving people.
Dear sisters and brothers,
The crimes committed in Recak cannot be erased from the history of Serbia’s genocidal state that committed them, nor from the history of our people who experienced them with so much pain and inherited them with so much suffering.
Recak was and remains an inseparable part of the struggle for truth and justice. It was at the center of the judicial proceedings against Slobodan Milosevic before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, demonstrating that the crimes in Kosovo were part of Serbia’s state policy of violence against the Albanian civilian population. Although this process did not conclude with a verdict due to Milosevic’s death, the facts and evidence regarding Recak remained recorded in international justice, as confirmation that the truth about these crimes cannot be denied, and that justice, however delayed, remains a moral and historical obligation.
In fulfillment of the obligation for justice, we have built the legal framework to enable trials in absentia for war crimes. In December 2025, that is, in the month that just passed, the Republic of Kosovo took another important step on the path of justice, when the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo filed an indictment against 21 persons for the Recak Massacre, for war crimes. This indictment affirms that the crime has perpetrators and that the truth does not become time-barred. Justice does not stop when criminals hide in Serbia or are even sheltered by the state there; justice always moves forward, because the state of Kosovo never forgets.
And today, in addition to the 45 martyrs, we also commemorate the commander of Brigade 161 of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Ahmet Kaciku, who has his birthday precisely today, would have turned 62 years old, but when he was only 35 years old, together with 10 other fighters, they fell as heroes of the nation in defense of the bodies of the killed civilians, of the lifeless bodies of the martyrs in Recak. Initially he was buried in the martyrs’ cemetery in Mollopolc, where the place of the battle and fighting was, whereas today, he rests in peace in the martyrs’ cemetery in Ferizaj.
Honorable and very dear Ambassador William Walker,
You have an important place in the modern history of the Republic of Kosovo and, above all, a special place in our hearts. In a period when the truth about Kosovo was often overlooked or faded in international discourse, you articulated clearly and responsibly the reality of the crimes committed by Serbia. You have left this testimony as a legacy through the memoir book, compiled under the title “Racak: the Story of a War Crime”, for which I congratulate you once again.
As documented in your book, the initial information that the OSCE Verification Mission in Kosovo had received spoke of four or five people killed. On 16 January 1999, you decided to come to Recak yourself, and what you witnessed, in your own words, was: “a deliberate and brutal massacre of the men and boys of a village”. For this, you stated: “I consider myself a hardened veteran of violence and man’s inhumanity to man, but what I saw in Recak was something beyond that”. The Government of the Republic of Kosovo has supported the publication of the book, as a highly important historical source and as an expression of honor for those who fell for freedom.
With deep gratitude, today and always, we are also thankful to all friends and international partners who stood on the side of truth in those dark days for Kosovo. The Recak Massacre awakened the international conscience and led to NATO’s intervention. The support and action of the international community remain an inseparable part of the history of Kosovo’s state-building together with the glorious war of the KLA.
Honorable ladies and gentlemen,
As part of the long-term state commitment, we have established by law the Institute for the Documentation of Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo. This institute is a necessary mechanism for confronting the past and for building a sustainable foundation of truth about the crimes committed during the war in Kosovo, which are not only war crimes, but also crimes against humanity and Serbia’s genocide.
In order to preserve the truth of Recak for the generations that come after us, the Government has initiated the process for the development of the memorial complex, through the working group and professional teams engaged by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. These teams are conducting a detailed analysis and documentation of the village’s current condition, with sensitivity and respect for the memory of your loved ones, and to responsibly give meaning and remembrance to our people in the collective sense also for the future, namely future generations.
Dear citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,
Today’s Kosovo is an independent and secure state, with functioning democratic institutions, with institutional stability, with a growing economy and with welfare that is distributed, with citizens who live in peace, and children who dream freely, thanks to the realization of the great dream of freedom.
The freedom we enjoy today is the fruit of effort, resistance, and continuous, joint engagement. Therefore, today, we continue to work for a state that guarantees and protects human rights and dignity, with the rule of order and law, with territorial integrity and state sovereignty, for economic development and social progress.
Today, by honoring the martyrs of Recak, the Republic of Kosovo reaffirms its constant and eternal commitment to truth, to justice, and to sustainable peace.
May the memory be eternal of the martyrs and fallen heroes of Recak and of those in general of our entire nation, who fell for the freedom we enjoy today and the state we have!
Glory!
