In Kosovo on January 15, state leaders honored the victims of the Re\u00e7ak massacre.<\/p>\n
In this village of Shtime, 25 years ago, Serbian forces killed 45 Albanian civilians.<\/p>\n
During the laying of flower wreaths in this village of Shtime, the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, thanked the former American ambassador, William Walker, who was present at the ceremony.<\/p>\n
Walker, during the year 1999, had served as the head of the Verification Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and had documented the crimes committed in this village.<\/p>\n
According to Osmani, the Re\u00e7ak massacre internationalized the issue of Kosovo. She stated that for 25 years, Walker had worked to defend the truth of Re\u00e7ak, but added that this event is still denied in Serbia.<\/p>\n
\u201c… at a time when unfortunately, the current regime of [Serbian President, Aleksandar] Vu\u010di\u0107, which is the successor of the regime of [former Serbian leader, Slobodan] Milo\u0161evi\u0107, not only denies the Re\u00e7ak massacre but also arrests and tortures those who place flowers on the graves of the children killed during the war,\u201d said Osmani.<\/p>\n
For Walker, this anniversary is an emotional event, but he added that the residents of this village sacrificed for the citizens to have the Republic of Kosovo today.<\/p>\n
During the commemorative academy for the 25th<\/sup> anniversary of the events in Re\u00e7ak, Osmani said that the massacre in this village of Shtime \u201cshook the foundations of human conscience everywhere in the democratic world\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the world experienced one of the most terrible massacres that happened in Europe at the end of the 20th<\/sup> century. This massacre has living witnesses who experienced the horror of that day. In addition to the surviving residents, whose testimonies are essential not only for our historical memory but also for revealing the author of the crime, this massacre also had a chief witness who is with us on this anniversary, Ambassador William Walker,\u201d said Osmani, adding that the testimony of the former ambassador was a turning point in Kosovo\u2019s efforts for freedom.<\/p>\n The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, stated that the Re\u00e7ak massacre \u201cshook international public opinion and diplomacy and made NATO\u2019s military intervention to stop Serbia\u2019s genocide in Kosovo necessary\u201d.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Kurti said at the commemorative academy that the Re\u00e7ak massacre was the most terrifying.<\/p>\n He mentioned that Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 continues to deny the crimes committed during the war, emphasizing that Kosovo does not forgive crimes.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, from the position of the Minister of Information, and today from that of the President of Serbia, this man has consistently denied this crime against humanity committed by the power of Serbia,\u201d said Kurti.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament Glauk Konjufca said that after the Re\u00e7ak massacre, the democratic world \u201cunderstood that the language Serbia understands is the language of force\u201d, referring to NATO bombings on Serbian targets.<\/p>\n On the anniversary of the Re\u00e7ak massacre, the American ambassador in Pristina, Jeff Hovenier, quoted the saying of Dr. Martin Luther King, \u201cInjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere\u201d, urging not to allow what happened in this village to be denied.<\/p>\n \u201cLet no one forget or deny what happened in Re\u00e7ak, or why the United States and our allies came to the defense of the people of Kosovo. I remember that day very well,\u201d he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: \u201cInjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.\u201d — Ambassador Jeff Hovenier (@USAmbKosovo) January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
Let no one forget or deny what happened in Recak\/Racak, or why the United States and our allies came to the defense of the people of Kosovo. I remember that day well.\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/jeIIGzCEPn<\/a><\/p>\n