Massacre in Studies, family members expect justice

23 years ago residents of Studies without horror with their eyes, when Serb forces killed 116 innocent Albanians.

The latter were pulled out of the column of hundreds of people on their way to Albania. Witnesses learn that 116 civilians were shot in two hours.

Mama Hatage Ferati remembers with tears her last moments with her loved ones who were killed in this massacre.

We took them by the hand, we stepped through them, we didn't dare to approach them, take them, or see them or touch them. We went out a few ways. I also had the old man with me because he could not walk, the children, and the girls - just like that. They stopped them. Mom how do I get out and go? ... I never get out of my mind, since you were seeing the baby, except God sent these poor”, she said.

Musa Gerguri, another family member who in this massacre lost his 16-year-old daughters and 23-year-old sister, recalls that they will always remember, while remaining in the hope that such massacres will never occur again.

“I hope it never happens like it did... Five are, two girls are my sister... One 20 years old and another 16-year-old sister 23-24. What we have to do, we have to agree to”, he said.

While Isa Gergur says we are waiting for institutions to be established for justice for the perpetrators of these macabre crimes.

It was just that we had nothing to do with it. That night we were in the column, but whoever lived, had no life, and no one had killed him. The sister was 25-year-old, the daughter of her 20-year-old brother and the mouse was about 63 years old... Life is like this. They (Serbian criminals) are being free, we know the majority, we are waiting for something to be decided”, he said.

Otherwise, the massacre in Vushtrri Studies by the leaders of Kosovo institutions has been called among the worst massacres against Albanians during the recent war.

In the case of the 23rd anniversary of the Serb massacre, the 166 unarmed and innocent civilians killed by Serb forces in the village of Vushtrri Studies have been commemorated. It was all said that within an hour and a half, until those who killed the women, elders, and children in this village were asked to stand trial.

Present at the memorial academy were many family members, witnesses to this massacre, representatives of institutions, deputy and director of the Vushtrri municipality.

In this case, Republika Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said Vushtrria is still grieving.

“Vushtrria has suffered and lost much during the war, suffered much pain, there is still much grief, ranging from the massacres in Reznik, the murder in Konovik, the grave injuries of the Grubanics, the torture in the Smerkovnica prison, the massacre of Selatin Gerjaliu's family and the massacre of Studies that we remember today. Who has commemorated the war here remember that it has April 1999, the citizens of Vushtrri were moving because they were being deported... Serbian forces started burning villages and came to Upper Studies. With the achievement, these Serbian criminal forces begin terror through the destruction of travel means and once in the evening beginning with the murder of massacres of Albanian civilians. 116 civilians were killed, including children and women”, he said.

Kurti also talked about the confession of witness Idriz Popova, who has shown that Serbs have tried to return and take corpses but thanks to KLA members, they have not. He added

The additional strain shows that today 23 years after the war there is still no court ruling condemning anyone for this massacre -- no investigation that has produced results from the Special Prosecutor, only silence. On the other side of the KLA fighters, defenders have been arrested, imprisoned, once by UNMIK, The Hague Tribunal, EULEX, and is currently being held in prison by the Special Court, but here we are 23 years after the war with no one convicted of the” Study massacre, he said.

Democratic Party of Kosovo Chairman Memli Krasniqi in a word reminded all martyrs who have fallen for freedom.

As long as the years are running out, growing above all martyrs has yet to find the right that they deserve. Of course, in spite of the many efforts, we have not been able to carry out as institutions the human obligation we have on them and more than names people, the names that are here before me are people who stand on our conscience as a people and a nation, and, above all, as a political class that we have an obligation to work to bring to justice all criminals who have done this massacre but also many criminals on the other side of Kosovo. The irony is that today, at the dock of the accused, remain the founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the bearers of the Kosovo Freedom and State Project, but whoever and wherever such is likely to be the same one who has any doubt about what happened in Kosovo in 1998-99, let him come here to Studies, because here, as in many municipalities, villages and villages in Kosovo where the inhumane massacres have been made of who has committed war crimes in Kosovo”, he said.

Vushtrri municipality Chairman Ferit Idrizi named this massacre one of the largest massacres Serb forces made in Kosovo.

We have gathered here for the 23rd anniversary of the massacre is one of the largest massacres caused by the Serb bloodbath, caused when the war was fought in front of it, and revenge was returned to the vulnerable population by not sparing any children, elders and women. This long list of names in this part where we are here marks the founding of the state of Kosovo, marks Kosovo's freedom -- that is, freedom of Kosovo is watered with the blood of witnesses and martyrs that fell to never die”, he said.

While he has also thanked the state institutions for taking time to join this memorial academy.

According to him, 116 civilians have been killed in this village, including children and women, and all of this happened for an hour and a half. He has added that 23 years after this massacre, there is still no ruling by the court condemning the massacre.

On behalf of family members, the Gerjaliu Stand said that 23 years ago our dearest family members were killed and that this night remains the most terrible nightmare.

And no perpetrators of this massacre were convicted and those fighting to protect us are being tried in the Special Court and that is not justice. We members of this massacre ask the state institutions to work harder on the issue of sentencing and finding those who gave the order and carried out this genocide, and only then will we as a family be calm”, she said.