Odalovic: Roma in Kosovo suffered terrible terror, shared the fate of the Serbs

The President of the Commission for Missing Persons of the Government of Serbia, Veljko Odalovic, stated that the Roma in Kosovo during and after the 1999 war suffered terrible terror and shared the fate of the Serbs, but even 26 years later, there is no precise data on how many of them were killed.

"When it comes to the suffering of the Roma, there is no precise data. A significant number of them reported the disappearance of their family members, and that is something we still keep open because even today some families and individuals are coming forward to report their missing. Unfortunately, their suffering was most severe in 1999 and 2000. That was the time of the pogroms that they also experienced. They shared the fate of the Serbian people," Odalovic said for Kosovo Online.

He specifies that Roma were also victims before 1999.

"What is characteristic is that in 1997 and 1998, there were individual terrorist attacks in which Roma who were part of institutions were also killed. They worked as postmen, electricians, foresters..." Odalovic noted.

He added that the Roma "suffered terribly" at the beginning of the war and again after June 10, i.e., the arrival of international peacekeeping forces in Kosovo.

"Unfortunately, the Roma suffered terrible terror. They were not seen by the so-called KLA as people who could remain, as people they counted on, or with whom they would build any bridges for the future," Odalovic said.

He explains that this led to an exodus of unimaginable proportions.

"Entire neighborhoods were burned. Whole families were killed, wiped out. Examples include Vucitrn and Djakovica. It was the most brutal there. Everything Roma-related was killed, burned. Many are still listed as missing," Odalovic emphasized.

He highlighted an incident in Djakovica as one of the most drastic crimes.

"KLA members stopped a Roma wedding, then raped the bride and committed a terrible crime. No one reacted to this, not even in The Hague. This wasn’t even something that led to any conviction. That shows the attitude towards the Roma, just as it was towards the Serbs," he stated.

He said the blame does not lie only with those who committed the crimes, but also with the international community in Kosovo, which silently watched it all.

"The situation is the same even today," Odalovic believes.

He pointed out that the situation is identical in the processes currently being conducted before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers based in The Hague.

"The Roma are certainly interested, together with us, in finding out what happened at the 'Yellow House', how many of the kidnapped were taken there and met their end in the way we know they did," Odalovic explained.

He added that the fate of the Roma "to a large extent" depended on the will and actions of the KLA and the "silence of the international mission," which was also evident during the March Pogrom of 2004.

Odalovic said that a number of Roma remained living in Kosovo and that many of them are in institutions, and therefore should insist on clarifying the crimes committed against their fellow Roma.

"I think they should raise their voice there too, precisely for the rights of those who are part of their ethnic group," Odalovic concluded.