Memorial plaque to abducted journalists Ranko Perenic and Djuro Slavuj reinstalled: You tear down the truth in vain

At the site where Radio Pristina journalists Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic were last seen, on the Velika Hoca–Zociste road in the Municipality of Orahovac, the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) and the Journalists' Association of Kosovo and Metohija (DNKiM) today marked 28 years since their abduction and reinstalled the memorial plaque that unknown perpetrators tore down for the ninth time in late July.

On August 21, 1998, Slavuj and Perenic set out for the Holy Unmercenaries Monastery in Zociste. They were seen in Velika Hoca, from where they continued toward Zociste. After traveling several kilometers, they took a wrong turn that led them to KLA members. No trace of them has been found since, and their families and colleagues have received no official information about their fate to this day.

Members of the Perenic and Slavuj families, as well as their friends and colleagues, attended the commemoration. A banner bearing the words "Bring back our colleagues" in Serbian and Albanian was once again displayed at the site of the abduction.

President of the Journalists' Association of Serbia Zivojin Rakocevic stressed that today, for the tenth time, they were erecting a monument to truth, to the profession, and to Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic.

"But today, forgive me Mrs. Perenic and members of the Slavuj family, we are burying our colleagues for the tenth time. And I know that their families, colleagues, and friends see this plaque as the only memorial between their former lives and their disappearance. Professionals, fathers, human beings disappeared, and there is not a stream or ravine in this area that we have not searched, hoping to find the Zastava 128 in which they were last seen at this location. What is happening for the tenth time is no longer hatred, revenge, a conspiracy of silence, or a problem with institutions. This is evil. This is an evil that has been tearing down a memorial to innocent people for almost three decades. What will happen to us? What will happen to this place if we do not have even a shred of compassion for the innocent, for professionals, for fathers, for grandfathers? What will happen to this entire area if you do not have the courage in your heart and within yourself to say, 'Leave that plaque alone, the plaque that separates disappearance from life,'" Rakocevic said.

He stressed that the Journalists' Association of Serbia continued to repeat the same sentence: "We are looking for them, and we will continue looking for them for as long as we are here."

"My dear friends and enemies alike, you tear down the truth in vain. It will speak from this stone, from these plaques, from truth and innocence. I am immensely grateful to the OSCE Mission, which continuously, in Vienna, Pristina, and at various European forums, bears witness to how important it is to preserve the truth about innocent people, professionals, and free people," he said.

Rakocevic stressed that nothing would ever be built anywhere unless that truth was acknowledged.

"The Journalists' Association of Serbia, regardless of how visible or invisible this may sometimes be at various international forums, including the International Federation of Journalists, strives to keep repeating this truth—not only about Perenic and Slavuj, but also about five other abducted and missing Serbs and murdered Serbs, seven Albanian colleagues, and three foreign journalists who disappeared. There can be no happiness in a place that probably has the highest number of murdered, abducted, and missing journalists unless their fates are investigated. That is the essence of this problem. Step outside yourselves, bear witness and say: 'People have the right at least to a memorial plaque if we have deprived them of the right to a grave,'" Rakocevic said.

Long-time UNS member Ninoslav Miljkovic stressed that it was difficult to be a journalist anywhere in the world today, particularly in an area burdened by the past.

"We owe you our gratitude, and we have a duty always to stand by you because you have remained with your citizens, with your people, informing your people and sharing the fate of this place, your neighbors, your friends, and your people. For that, thank you very much," Aleksic told his fellow journalists.

He stressed that Slavuj and Perenic served as a reminder of the fundamental principles of journalism.

"Today, we download something from Facebook, reproduce statements, and that is it. These people wanted to be on the ground, to be authentic representatives of their listeners and readers, to convey the atmosphere and report what they saw, something that has become rare in modern journalism. They gave their lives for that and showed us how honorable, but also how dangerous, this profession can be, and that not everyone can practice it—only those who truly believe in it and are called to it. And finally, speaking personally, as a human being and someone who has spent many years in this profession, it is very easy to destroy. Of course, the people doing this will not hear these words. But it is very easy to destroy, materially and spiritually; it is much harder to build," Aleksic said.

Head of the OSCE Office for Political Affairs and Communications Maid Konjhodzic stressed that the disappearance of Slavuj and Perenic remained a painful wound for their families, colleagues, and the entire Serbian community, but also a reminder of the price journalists could pay in pursuit of the truth.

"This commemoration is not merely an act of remembrance. It sends a clear message: threats and intimidation must not silence the truth, particularly when it comes to the work of journalists. Remembering missing journalists preserves their dignity and reaffirms that their right to work must be protected. The families of Ranko Perenic and Djuro Slavuj, and their colleagues, deserve answers. Their disappearance must be subject to an effective investigation, and those responsible, once their responsibility has been established, must be prosecuted," he said.

Konjhodzic added that transparent and credible proceedings were essential for maintaining public confidence, and the confidence of all communities, in the rule of law, and that the OSCE Mission was particularly concerned by the repeated destruction of the memorial plaque.

"The OSCE Mission publicly condemns such an act. Memorials dedicated to victims and missing persons must be respected and protected. They are places of remembrance for families, friends, colleagues, and the entire community, but also enduring reminders of the importance of journalism and media freedom. We express particular gratitude to the Journalists' Association of Serbia, registered in Kosovo, for its continued commitment to seeking justice for its colleagues and their families. Their resilience demonstrates why remembrance must not be allowed to fade into oblivion," Konjhodzic said.

He stressed that the OSCE Mission also recognized the resilience of journalists and other media professionals who continued to work despite threats and pressure.

"Their work is of vital importance and deserves every possible protection," he said.

The memorial plaque was first erected near the site of the abduction in 2012 to ensure that the unresolved case would not be forgotten. It bears an inscription in Serbian and Albanian:

"Our journalist colleagues were abducted here on August 21, 1998. We are looking for them."

The memorial plaque has been vandalized and torn down nine times to date, most recently in late July this year.

The abduction of Slavuj and Perenic remains one of many unresolved cases.

In 2017, EULEX confirmed that Perenic and Slavuj had been abducted by KLA members, who threatened them with weapons and took them away in an unknown direction. However, the investigation was subsequently closed due to a lack of evidence.

Between 1998 and 2005, 19 journalists and media workers were killed, abducted, or went missing in Kosovo while carrying out their work.