Leaders of political parties in Kosovo have held a memorial service to commemorate those who fell in the Recak massacre. The then head of the OSCE Verification Mission, William Walker, was also present at the service.
Twenty-six years ago, he was the first to tell the world that a crime against humanity was being committed in Racak. After paying tribute at the Memorial Complex, he said he was amazed by the large number of citizens paying homage at the complex.
"Every year, I am amazed by the number of people who come here from all over the country. It used to be mainly a memorial ceremony organized by the Municipality of Shtime, but now there are people from all over Kosovo, and I suppose from all over the world. So, thank you for covering this [event], I wish you all a very happy day, and I wish all the people of Kosovo a Happy New Year. Thank you very much."
The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Memli Krasniqi, said that institutions must commit to justice. After paying tribute at the Memorial Complex in Recak, he said that the massacre in this village of Shtime is among the most horrific in the country.
"We commemorate one of the most horrific massacres of our fight for freedom, and on this day we commemorate all the victims of the Serbian genocide in Kosovo. This is a moment for each of us and, first and foremost, for the institutions and the political class to once again pledge that none of us should feel comfortable until there is justice for every life given for the freedom of Kosovo ," said Krasniqi.
The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, said that the truth of Recak is unchangeable. He paid homage at the graves at the Recak Memorial Complex, for which he said that there must be justice.
"The first thing we need to say is that we want justice, something that we have the right to demand. There is still no justice for Recak and for many massacres in Kosovo. This situation is absurd, that there is no justice and that those who committed these crimes are not brought to justice. Eternal is the memory of the martyrs of Recak, the truth of Recak and Kosovo is eternally unchangeable, freedom has come thanks to blood and sacrifice, and of course also thanks to the help of our allies, NATO led by America," he said.
In the early morning of January 15, 1999, children, adults, and the elderly were brutally murdered, including an elderly woman whose body has still not been found.
The serious incident in Recak prompted an international response, with NATO deciding to attack Serbian military and police targets - a bombing campaign that lasted 78 days. Its end was marked on June 10, 1999, when United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 was adopted. (A2 Televizion)
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