Blakaj: The suffering of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians has been marginalized

Source: Kosovo Online

The Executive Director of the Humanitarian Law Center, Bekim Blakaj, stated that this organization documented the deaths of 276 Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians during and after the 1999 war, but that the issue remains marginalized in Kosovo because neither society nor the political elites are interested in addressing crimes against these ethnic communities.

"Unfortunately, in Kosovo, there is no discussion about the victims of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian nationality. The focus is mostly on the suffering of Albanians. These communities – Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians – are particularly marginalized, and very little is written or spoken about their suffering. There is almost no day of remembrance for Roma victims in Kosovo. That is the situation. Also, it is rare, almost impossible, to find monuments dedicated to the suffering of Roma in Kosovo," Blakaj said to Kosovo Online.

He explained that the Humanitarian Law Center in Kosovo, as part of the Kosovo Memory Book project, documented the suffering of Roma during and after the war.

"Out of 13,535 killed and missing persons, 276 were Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians. They were victims both during and after the war, unfortunately from both sides. There were Roma killed and disappeared at the hands of Serbian forces, as well as by Albanians during and after the war," Blakaj emphasized.

He believes there is no interest in Kosovo in talking about the suffering of Roma.

"Society, and especially the political elites, are not at all interested in creating an accurate narrative that clearly states who suffered and how," Blakaj stated.

The Humanitarian Law Center of Kosovo monitors all war crimes trials in Kosovo, and Blakaj pointed out that so far, only four Albanians, former KLA members, have been convicted for the killing of a single Roma individual.

"We have one court verdict against four defendants who were found responsible for the murder of one Roma. Of course, that is a very small number," Blakaj said.