collective memory dependent on Kosovo Institute for War Crimes Research

The Kosovo government, on December 7th, has backed the Justice Minister Selim Selim Selimi's proposal for the establishment of the Institute for War Crimes Research in Kosovo. Minister Selimi says that for the preservation of collective memory, this institute should be formed.

As stated in advance, the establishment of the Institute for War Crimes Research will create a working group whose members will be appointed Minister of Justice.

Creating collective memory “Objections to future generations”

Justice Minister Selim Selim Selimi tells Radio Free Europe that the task force will prepare analysis for establishing the mechanism for war crimes research.

The “Mandati of this group, with particular emphasis, is to offer an analysis/to argue about the possibility of establishing a mechanism for investigating crimes committed during the war in Kosovo. Also, to identify practices with comparable goods and reflect elements and specifics that could be included in the Kosovo case”, Selimi said.

However, Minister Selimi has not specified how long procedures will last until the institute's creation.

Nora Ahmetaj, a researcher for transitional justice, says the creation of collective memory regarding what happened during the war in Kosovo, by documenting war crimes and storing them, is nevertheless a duty, not just institutional, but of the whole society.

We owe it to future generations to have a database, with facts well documented in the past. However, that record should reflect the truth, be well researched, and be regarded as good by relevant institutions. The assessment can make the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts, academic institutions that offer scientific methodology on how to make the record of the past”, Ahmeti stressed.

According to her, the initiative for, as she calls it, re-creating the Institute for War Crimes Research, however late, is very necessary.

Professional Institute

If the initiative for an Institute for War Crimes Research is realised, then this would be the second institution in a row with the same goal, which the Government of Kosovo establishes.

A preliminary group working for the formation of the Institute was established earlier this year, at the initiative of Albulen Hadziu, former justice minister in the then-run Albin Kurti government.

However, the Institute for War Crimes Research has existed from 2011 to 2018. With a Kosovo Government decision then run by Ramush Haradinaj, he was removed, with the reasoning that his work will be held by the Department for Transitional Justice under the Justice Ministry. But that department wasn't founded.

Former leader of the now extinct Institute, Ismet Salihu, in a statement to Radio Free Europe, has said it is important that the government form the Institute for War Crimes Research, because it is necessary that “before reconciliation, Pristina and Belgrade confront the truth”.

Salihu, who is a professor of Criminal Law, has stressed that the Institute for War Crimes should make up scientists and researchers who will conduct their work impartially.

“should create good conditions. This is our task”, Salihu said.

He added that it would take 5 to 10 years of full capacity to collect and document all war crimes in Kosovo.

The institute at which Salihu was head published 10 books with information on war crimes.

Justice Minister Selim Selim Selimi has clarified that the composition of the Institute for War Crimes Research will be exactly as Professor Salihu suggests.

The “Institute will have academics, professors, war affairs activists, representatives of the family of missing persons and mothers' associations”, Selimi stressed.

Work “distributed”

However, regarding Radio Free Europe's question of why it had to be, in 2018, the previous institute, which is again intended to be established for the same purpose, former Prime Minister Haradinaj's adviser, has said the institute's “sis has been the decision of that government, which I do not judge”.

But I stand behind the promise that Kosovo should have this institute to preserve our collective memory”, Selimi said.

At this point, transitional justice researcher Nora Ahmeti points out that it has been the wrong step on the part of the government, the disappearance of this institute in 2018. According to her, those who were engaged in the then Institute have done good work and made valuable contributions. According to her, the question of this institute was politicised, which she considers to be wrong.

Instead of continuing to work where it has remained or where it remains or is strengthened and that work is shaped, so that it can be promoted even greater, not only financially, but also professionally, we have made it a tradition that every government that comes down to minimize or destroy the work that has been done or offers to start from the beginning. Where have we arrived today? There's been another initiative to create another institute, and again, here's the idea of having such an institute. Not just the idea, but it's mandatory for every country, for every country. We owe this to future generations”, Ahmeti said.

She added that the recent war in Kosovo has been investigated and documented by all international organisations that have been in Kosovo, including the UNMIK mission, the EULEX and KFOR mission, as well as humanitarian organisations. But according to it, those documents were collected and sent to the respective locations of those who investigated them.

There is so much material for Kosovo, but it is not gathered in one place. We, it's not that we haven't done enough work. However, the work has remained spent”, Ahmeti stressed.

Meanwhile, from the Fund for Humanitarian Law in Kosovo have stressed that so far, there was no “a serious state body that would document war crimes”.

Formation of the Institute for War Crimes Research, of this fund is assessed as a good initiative, but only “in case it deals seriously with its” mandate.

If they seriously understand its mission and if this body is not politically motivated, it can contribute to the creation of the real mirror regarding what happened during the armed war in Kosovo. But if it is politically motivated, it will have the opposite effect”, Bekim Blakaj stressed.

He has added that the Fund for Humanitarian Law in Kosovo will not co-operate with the new Institute for War Crimes Research, because this fund does not want to be part of a organisation that is under state competencies.

According to the Fund for Humanitarian Law data, during the 1998 and 1999 war in Kosovo more than 13,500 people, most of whom were civilians.

Also, about 1,600 people are still found, most of whom are Albanians. /rel