Neziri: There is no political will in Kosovo or the EU to address the suffering of Roma

Writer and expert on Roma issues at the Council of Europe, Nexhmedin Neziri, stated that there is no accurate data on how many Roma were killed in Kosovo during and after the NATO intervention, but it is evident that there is no political will, either in Pristina or in the EU, to resolve this issue.

“Roma began to suffer even before 1999. There were threats, attempted kidnappings, everything. That persecution began in 1998. Pressure was exerted on those working at the Trepca factory. There were many such methods, and the most common was intimidation,” Neziri told Kosovo Online.

Now living in France, Neziri, a former athlete from Kosovska Mitrovica, is a chronicler of the suffering of Roma in this city after 1999. He dedicated his poetry collection “Don’t Forget” to this subject.

Before the war, a Roma neighborhood of about 10,000 residents existed in South Mitrovica.

Neziri visited that neighborhood in August 1999, with his safety guaranteed by members of the French KFOR contingent.

“The first time I entered was August 22, 1999, and it was a shock for me. The neighborhood had about 10,000 inhabitants. And now, when you enter and see that there’s nothing, everything is empty, no birds, no mice, no cats, no dogs... nothing. First, everything had been looted, and most houses were burned and destroyed. I saw a contingent of French soldiers barricaded in a large house in the Roma neighborhood, where there used to be a restaurant. That house belonged to our Gani Ruseti. Later, a few other houses received protection with barbed wire. But if you went further, everything was deserted. I described that in my poems,” Neziri said.

He explained that at the time, Roma had no protection from anyone.

“Neither from the international community, nor from anyone at the United Nations. They were left to fend for themselves, and for me, that was extremely dramatic,” the writer admitted.

He emphasized that the most disheartening fact is that, 26 years later, there is still no accurate number of Roma victims, and that there is no family that hasn’t suffered a tragedy. His own family was no exception.

“The exact number is unknown. I know that my cousin was kidnapped back in 1998, on June 21, by his own friends with whom he worked. He sold plastic, they traded together. And suddenly, he was gone,” Neziri said.

He noted that his family contacted the District Court in South Mitrovica in 2004 and 2005, as well as the court in Kraljevo, regarding this case.

They never received a response.

Since 2001, Neziri has worked as an expert on Roma issues at the Council of Europe.

He says that even there, there was no willingness to address the issue of missing and murdered Roma from Kosovo.

“When you talk to officials, there is simply no political will,” Neziri stressed.