Tomanovic and Vujancevic Djukic: Families of the missing have been waiting 26 years for a legal solution and recognition of victim status

Representatives of two associations advocating for the rights of families of missing persons stated that they hope the Law on Missing Persons will finally be adopted this year, as announced by the Ministry of Labour, because families have been waiting for 26 years for a systemic solution to their problems and for their status as victims to be officially recognized.

President of the Association of Families of Missing and Killed Persons “Suza,” Dragana Vujancevic Djukic, emphasized that this Law would resolve many issues.

“The families of missing persons expect recognition as victims. This Law would acknowledge what is most important to us – that Serbs are also victims. The Law would encompass many problems. First and foremost, families would receive a certain form of satisfaction, which, of course, can never be sufficient when murdered family members are concerned. However, it would involve financial compensation so that they understand they have not been forgotten, that someone is still thinking of them, and that the state stands behind them,” Vujancevic Djukic stressed.

She added that associations of families of missing and killed persons should, under this law, receive the status of organizations of special importance to the state, so that they would no longer have to worry about their own survival.

“The Law would enable us to operate more easily and continue our struggle more effectively, allowing associations to focus on their mission and vision — the reasons for which they were founded — rather than fighting for survival. The adoption of this law is of great importance. Back in 2000, the families submitted this initiative, and throughout all these years the law has, so to speak, been enriched through its provisions. Recently, a large number of working group meetings have been held where the draft was revised, every article agreed upon, and we hope there are no longer any obstacles preventing its adoption. As Minister Djurdjevic Stamenkovski also stated, the law should enter into force in 2026,” our interlocutor emphasized.

As she pointed out, Serbia is the only country in the region that does not have a law on missing persons.

“It is extremely important for it to be adopted and actually implemented. We have examples from countries in the region that have such laws, but they do not function and are not applied. Therefore, although we have waited for so long, it is crucial that once adopted, the law truly functions and that families are at least somewhat satisfied with its implementation,” Vujancevic Djukic stressed.

Asked how the law would regulate this area, Vujancevic explained that it would provide assistance both to associations and to all families from war-affected areas.

“Benefits would be introduced for the families of missing persons, for example in employment. Children of those killed or murdered would receive priority in employment, and there would also be monthly or annual compensations. Whatever form they take, they would mean a great deal to every family,” Vujancevic Djukic concluded.

Tomanovic: This Law Will at Least Partially Ease the Pain and Grief

President of the Association of Families of Kidnapped and Missing Persons in Kosovo and Metohija, Verica Tomanovic, stated that intensive discussions regarding the Law on Missing Persons are currently underway and that the draft law is being supplemented in order to accelerate the procedure as much as possible.

“To this very day, that law has not been adopted. However, since 2019 we have had a promise from the President of the Republic, Mr. Aleksandar Vučic, that this issue must be urgently resolved. These days, discussions are being held with the working group engaged in finalizing the draft law, and we have assurances from the Minister of Labour and Social Policy that the law will be adopted by the New Year,” Tomanovic said.

She stressed that families of the missing primarily expect legal and financial protection.

“Our families live in extremely difficult existential conditions. They were expelled from their homes, placed in collective accommodation centers, and had to find ways to survive. It is unacceptable that the victims — our victims — are not treated properly and that their families are not materially protected by the state, because they have earned that protection. They did not leave their homeland, their country, or their homes voluntarily. They were forced into exile from their centuries-old hearths. I believe this law will at least partially ease the pain and sorrow our families carry within them,” Tomanovic believes.

She explained that the families of missing and kidnapped persons from Kosovo face numerous unresolved problems, which is why they consider the urgent adoption of this law necessary.

“Families call us every day, come here to our Association, and seek solutions to these problems, because many elderly people have had to move into care homes and do not have enough money to pay for them. We have people who struggle greatly to educate their children, so the children work day labor jobs. There are many problems. We believe that the adoption of the new law will resolve at least part of them, and we hope this promise will be fulfilled,” Tomanovic stressed.

She also recalled that there are a total of 1,586 unresolved missing persons cases in Kosovo, including 570 Serbs, while 367 victims have been buried.

“I believe the Minister’s announcements, and I am convinced that in 2026 we will finally receive the much-needed Law on Missing Persons,” Tomanovic concluded.