The son of the violent missing pray to Kurti not make harmful agreements for Kosovo

So said Gentris Shala from Drenas, who still knows nothing about his father's fate, Hafir Shala, missing during the recent war in Kosovo.

The European Union has published the Declaration on Missing Persons, which was approved at the meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, in Brussels on Tuesday 2 May.

According to this statement, both sides have reportedly recognised the issue of missing persons as humanitarian issues and have noted the urgent need for additional efforts.

In this regard, in a proposal for Portal Dukaagjini, Gentrit Shala has said they are awaiting publication of the official document to see how the term for violent disappearance is involved.

We are waiting for the official document to be published and see if the term "losed by violence" or just missing from the last war, since it is known that all the missing persons in Kosovo have disappeared violently from Serbian police forces, as is the case of my father”, Shala has said.

For Gentrit, who has lost contact with his father since 10 April 1998, the term “that disappeared by force” is important to be included in the final agreement between the two sides.

That, because, according to him, Serbia must answer for all crimes it has committed in Kosovo and not be acquitted.

The “is very important for us as a state, such as Kosovo, for this term to be included in the draft final agreement, because Serbia must be accountable for all crimes it has committed in Kosovo and not to be acquitted and at the same time not to take the burden on Kosovo for crimes committed by the Serbian state”, he added.

He has stressed that Serbia is able to do everything to avoid opening archives.

“Term is of legal importance for Serbia to take responsibility for the crimes it has committed, otherwise whether it is the term of those missing by violence or without violence, we know Serbia will do its best to prevent the opening of archives, as it is known that all those archives are evidenced of the crimes committed by the Serbian state itself, organised by the police and the Serbian Army”.

Between Hope and Skepticism

Although Gentrit argued that he does not expect a quick solution as far as this agreement is concerned, however, Gentrit says he is expecting results away as to what will happen.

To be honest, we have to wait for the next steps, see what happens, will there be pressure from the EU and international organisations towards the Serbian state, to continue with further steps, after it has been a long time since we have thus agreed with the Serbian state through the international missions where various agreements have been reached, but the same are not applied in practice”

He has been skeptical that the same agreement can be applied in the future.

“Pass is very difficult when we know what state we face, a Serbian criminal state, which is doing its best to stop these processes, to avoid whitewashing its crimes”

Dr. Shala Sapphire

Hfir Shala, a doctor by profession, had taken the way to Pristina to supply drugs to the Kosovo Liberation Army and the civilian population in the mountainous area.

It was launched on April 10, 1998.

He was arrested on the way.

The “is banned from the Serbian secret service in Slatina around 0800 a.m. He was accompanied by two companions who stayed in the car, in which his father was also in, and his father was taken out of the car and sent to a black jeep of dark glass, from there he was sent to the No.1 police station in Pristina”, Gentrit said.

He says this station was allegedly questioned by Fadil Sylevic.

“After witnesses, who have since changed statement”.

Since then, I don't know anything about my father's fate.

We don't have any data from local authorities or international “.

According to Gentrit, his father was a former political prisoner, activist for reconciliation of women, including for human rights, has been an activist of the Mother Teresa Association.

Although he was aware that he could be arrested, killed, massacred, and disappeared, he did not stop serving the country of his fellow citizens.

“has been unstoppable on the road to freedom, these are the prices we as a people have had to pay to reach freedom. Father was a medical doctor, but at the same time was locked up in the Kosovo Liberation Army, has been locked up in illegal organisations at the time, which have made various arrangements to organise the war in 1998”.

A Book of All That Remains as Memory

A Hafir Shala study book has remained all his memory of his family.

The clothes, equipment, books, and documents that he kept hidden were all burned with the house.

Besides a book that he had during his studies, we have nothing to remember from his father, no clothes or anything else, because even the village house where we are during the war was burned, where all his documents, his clothes, his hidden equipment were burned along with the”, Gentrit said.

However, although Haphire has achieved his purpose, his son feels that it is a great relief for the family.

Full statement for missing persons:

Stressing the importance of resolving the fate of those who continue to disappear and promoting lasting reconciliation and peace,

Given that this Declaration follows the understanding of the International Committee of the Red Cross (KNKK) for Missing Persons, which includes people forcibly missing,

Remembering that all categories of missing persons will be treated with equal priorities,

Recognising the important work done through the Working Group for Missing Persons, led by the KNKK,

Encouraging co-operation with other relief actors in the field of missing persons, in particular with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP),

Recognizing the issue of missing persons as humanitarian issues,

Noting the urgent need for additional efforts to alleviate family suffering,

We engage together,

To ensure full implementation of relevant commitments in the field of missing persons,

To co-operate closely in identifying burial sites and to follow with excavations,

To ensure full access to reliable and accurate information that help to locate and identify missing persons within January 1, 1998, issue of December 31, 2000. This includes all materials, notes, orders, documents, videos, audio updates and any other document including those with classified status ) under the possession of institutions on both sides, which are important to this context,

To make all local and international documents of importance available for determining the fate of missing persons to use satellite data, LEDAR and other technologies, in uncovering mass graves,

To enable and encourage the active engagement of families of missing persons in the process of identifying their fates,

To provide adequate rights and address the needs of families of missing persons,

To create and work together through a Joint Commission, headed by the European Union and monitored by the KNKK, in order to support efforts to resolve the fate of missing persons,

To monitor and support the work and progress made by the Working Group for Missing Persons through the Joint Commission.