26 years since the abduction of Slavuja and Perenic marked: We will search for them as long as we live

It has been 26 years since the abduction of Radio Pristina journalists Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic. On the road between Velika Hoca and Zociste, at the place where they were last seen, family members and journalists once again reminded everyone of this unsolved crime and stated that they will not give up searching for the truth.

Slavuj and Perenic were abducted on August 21, 1998, between Velika Hoca and Orahovac while on their way to the Monastery of the Holy Healers in Zociste to do a story about the return of abducted monks.

Predrag Slavuj, the nephew of Djuro Slavuj, said that even after 26 years, they have learned nothing about their fate.

"I want to thank the fellow journalists who remember my uncle Djuro and his colleague. Even after 26 years, we have learned nothing; this is devastating for the families—at least some truth should be uncovered," said Predrag Slavuj.

Alongside the memorial plaque for the abducted colleagues, journalists from Serbian newsrooms in Kosovo and members of the Journalists' Association of Serbia unfurled a banner with the message "Return our colleagues" written in both Serbian and Albanian.

The President of the Journalists' Association of Serbia, Zivojin Rakocevic, emphasized that for 26 years, we have witnessed increasing injustice and lack of freedom, and he vowed that the missing colleagues will be sought as long as the idea of freedom and a normal life exists.

"As far as we and those who have been coming to this plaque for years—which has been destroyed nine times and rebuilt nine times—are concerned, we know that we will continue to search for them as long as we exist, as long as the idea of this profession exists, as long as the idea of freedom exists, as long as the idea of a normal life exists, and as long as the idea that we can look each other in the face and in the eyes as human beings exists, we will search for all 17 of our abducted, murdered, and missing colleagues," Rakocevic said.

He added that it is humiliating that the international community, local institutions, and all those with any power are unable to form a commission to address the killings, abductions, and missing journalists and media workers.

"Our demands are constant and remain as steadfast as the truth itself, and we can never forget nor will we ever stop seeking justice and coming to this place, from which the decline of our profession, democracy, and life began, and it continues to this day. Those who prevent the truth from being known, which the vast majority are aware of, are the rulers of this region and the masters of life and death. In the end, the truth will stop them," said Rakocevic.

The President of the Journalists' Association of Serbia in Kosovo, Ivana Vanovac, said that for 26 years, they have gathered with the same demand and appeal for the investigation to be reopened and the fate of their colleagues to be clarified.

"Every year on this day, but also on every day when we remember and reflect on the weight, difficulty, and uncertainty of our profession, we will not relent in our demand for the investigation to be reopened and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. The Journalists' Association of Serbia thanks the OSCE mission for having the mission's ambassador with us. International support means a lot to us, and it is the last straw we cling to and the last hope that the search for the missing will at least not be forgotten, if nothing else," said Vanovac.

The Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Michael Davenport, stated that resolving the fate of the missing is of fundamental importance for reconciliation, dialogue, and peace.

"On behalf of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, I want to commend the Journalists' Association and their ongoing efforts in seeking answers and justice for all the victims and their colleagues. The OSCE Mission welcomes the recent adoption of the Resolution on Missing and Murdered Journalists from 1998-2005 at the European Federation of Journalists' meeting in May. Today, we are here to pay tribute to the victims, show support to the families, and stand against the impunity related to these terrible crimes," said Davenport.

At the place where the journalists were last seen, a memorial has been erected with the inscription in both Serbian and Albanian: "On August 21, 1998, journalists disappeared here. We are searching for them."