Anniversary of the kidnapping of the Belacevac mine workers marked: We must persevere and live to see justice

Family members and friends today marked in North Mitrovica the 28th anniversary of the abduction of the Belacevac mine workers, the first in a series of mass kidnappings of Serbs in Kosovo.

A minute of silence was observed in memory of all those who lost their lives in Kosovo during 1998 and 1999, regardless of their religion or nationality, as was emphasized.

The fate of the abducted miners remains unknown to this day, and the brother of one of them, Dragisa Kostic, said that all the families can do is remain persistent in their efforts to learn the truth about the fate of their loved ones.

"From June 22, 1998, until today, a full 28 years have passed without any trace or information about those workers. How much longer this will continue, only God knows, but we must persevere, remain persistent, and live to see justice. Justice will certainly come, even if it is slow," Kostic said.

For 28 years, Silvana Marinkovic has come from Gracanica on this date to ask, as she says, the same question: what happened to those who disappeared and were kidnapped during the war in Kosovo.

"Unfortunately, for the 28th year in a row we are gathering here and marking this very sad day for us. We hope that by next year some solution will be found and that there will no longer be a need to commemorate this day. However, even after these 28 years, we are still at the beginning of our long journey. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer of us. In the past, many more families attended this gathering, but many of our family members have since passed away. I hope the relevant authorities will finally begin doing their job and that we will resolve the fate of all missing persons, regardless of nationality," Marinkovic said.

Negovan Mavric from Velika Hoca also pointed out that, even after almost three decades, nothing is known about the fate of the abducted miners, recalling that the kidnapping of the Belacevac mine workers was the first mass abduction in Kosovo.

"How long this will continue and how long we will keep gathering here does not depend only on us. It depends on those from whom we expect the truth and justice. We hope that justice must come sooner or later. The miners did not simply disappear without anyone seeing them or vanish into some pit. Someone kidnapped them and took them away. That is why we appeal to all perpetrators and those who know something to at least say where their graves are, so that their families can at least be comforted by recovering their remains. Today, even returning their bones to their families means a great deal, so they can finally find peace and know where to lay flowers and pray at their graves. Living in uncertainty is something only families searching for their loved ones can understand and know how painful it is," Mavric said.

He added that the families and friends of the abducted had gathered to show that there are still people who care about uncovering the fate of all missing persons, regardless of religion or nationality.

"Every family today, after 28 years, should at least be able to find some comfort in the return of their loved ones' remains. Of course, this does not depend only on us, but on many others as well. That is why I appeal for all archives to be opened, whether local, military, police, KLA, or any other archives. In those archives we see hope that we may finally uncover the fate of our loved ones," Mavric said.

Maja Avramovic, the wife of Milorad Avramovic, who disappeared in the southern part of Mitrovica on June 19, 1999, said that even after 27 years, there is still no information about his fate.

"We have absolutely no information. I have knocked on every door, gone everywhere, and sought answers from everyone, but I have learned nothing about him, absolutely nothing. I would like to remind everyone of the tragedy that befell all of us in the Balkans and of the international community, which did nothing for these people, even though it also bears responsibility for them. The international community was not prepared to face this issue, because it too bears responsibility. This is how we can interpret the delays in searching for the kidnappers and the delays in the exhumation and identification of human remains. Is someone protecting the criminals, those who are known to have killed and tortured people? Why is it that today, in an age when everything can be discovered, no one wanted to uncover the dark secret surrounding these people? We have, let us say, heard many things. This is a dark shadow over justice and the rule of law, something that has no place in a civilized world. The international community certainly knows what happened to these people, and this information is being kept strictly secret, but I do not know how much longer that will continue," Avramovic said.

In addition to the families and friends of the missing persons, representatives of the Red Cross from North Mitrovica also attended the commemoration.