Odalovic: Kosovo Resolution an attempt to amnesty crimes against Serbs; Bozanic: We will not abandon the struggle for truth

The Chairman of the Commission on Missing Persons, Veljko Odalovic, stated that the resolution of the Assembly of Kosovo “on truth and the dignity of war victims” represents an attempt to impose a single version of truth and prohibit any alternative interpretation.

According to him, every resolution, whether directly or indirectly, has consequences.

“It is by no means coincidental that at this moment the parliament of the self-proclaimed state is taking such a position, with full unity among all political parties of Kosovo Albanians. The initiator of this resolution is the party of Hashim Thaçi, who is awaiting a verdict,” Odalovic said in an appearance on RTS.

He emphasized that the essence of the resolution is an attempt to exert pressure to grant amnesty to all those who committed crimes against Serbs.

“This resolution identifies exclusively what they determine as their truth and their perspective, while prohibiting any other truth or reference to anything else,” Odalovic stated.

According to him, the intention is to amend Kosovo’s Criminal Code to introduce punitive provisions against anyone attempting to present or explain events differently.

The resolution does not mention Serbian victims. Olgica Bozanic, née Kostic, from Kosovo, lost fifteen members of her family—killed or abducted—including her two brothers.

Members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) abducted or killed fifteen members of the Kostic family, including her brothers Lazar and Todor.

Bozanic stated that, as a sister who lost her brothers through violence and as Secretary of the Association of Families of Kidnapped and Missing Persons in Kosovo, she accepted the invitation to convey the truth about the suffering of Serbs.

“We will not abandon our fight for the truth. As representatives of the association, it is important for us to maintain good cooperation with the Commission of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. No one can deny that crimes against Serbs occurred, because we—the surviving family members—are here, rightfully demanding answers about what happened to our loved ones. It is tragic that representatives of the provisional institutions in Kosovo and Metohija have never acknowledged our victims. This is regrettable, and we have even heard it privately from representatives of families of missing Albanians, though not publicly, as they were unable to speak openly due to pressure,” Bozanic stated.

She added that her family hoped until 2005 that her brothers might still be alive. However, in April 2005, a mass grave was discovered in Volujak near Klina, where the remains—both of her brothers and others—had been destroyed using explosives.

“We then waited a year and a half for the matching of burned and destroyed remains with the blood samples of our relatives. In 2006, we buried eleven members of the Kostic family and four members of the Bozanic family at Orlovaca cemetery. The youngest was Nemanja Bozanic, who had turned sixteen on May 5, and was taken on July 18 together with his father, uncle, and cousin,” Bozanic said.

When asked about the reaction of the international community to the resolution, Odalovic stated that a significant share of responsibility for events in Kosovo lies with the international community itself.

The resolution “on truth and the dignity of war victims,” adopted last week by the Assembly of Kosovo, calls on judicial institutions to continue investigations and trials for war crimes allegedly committed by Serbia during the Kosovo conflict. It also triggers amendments to Kosovo’s Criminal Code to introduce penalties for individuals who deny or minimize crimes committed by Serbia during the 1998–1999 war.

Interlocutors of Kosovo Online warn that this resolution, along with potential criminal prosecution, prevents scrutiny of the official narrative promoted by Pristina, while also endangering Serbian and other victims of the KLA, as well as freedom of expression for all citizens of Kosovo.