13 April 2011

Today, the remains of eighteen individuals who were killed during the Kosovo conflict in 1999, were handed over to the Krasniqi family from Carallug/Crni Lug near Malishevë/Mališevo.

The hand over took place at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Pristina.

The Head of EULEX Xavier de Marnhac, who was present at the event, expressed the commitment of the mission in finding the missing.

“This is a day of emotion for a Kosovo family who will get the remains of some of the members who disappeared during the war. The issue of missing persons is a very sensitive issue, and EULEX takes that very seriously and is fully committed in doing it. Our people working at the Department of Forensic Medicine are working very hard on that. Again we are fully aware of the sensitivity of that. The purpose is to bring to the family the remains of their beloved people, specifically when they disappeared in tragic and difficult circumstances. EULEX remains very much committed in Mentoring, Monitoring and Advising our local counterparts so that we commonly achieve this very sensitive goal ”, said de Marnhac, the Head of EULEX.

Exhumed in 2004, the individuals were indentified by EULEX forensic experts through a combination of DNA and forensic anthropological analysis.

Alan Robinson, the co-head of the Department of Forensic Medicine, says that the department needs information of potential sites in order to find the missing.

“We can only find the remains of the missing if we have good and reliable information that will allow us to improve our search and reduce the search parameters for the missing”, said Robinson.

The remains of the 18 individuals are some of the 250 bodies located at the Prishtinë/Priština morgue - which are in the process of being identified (further information on this issue can be found at the EULEX/DFM 2010 Report).

The burial of the individuals will take place in the village of Carallug/Crni Lug near Malishevë/Mališevo tomorrow (14 April).

Since EULEX experts joined DFM in December 2008, the remains of over 200 individuals have been returned to the families of the missing. The department has conducted over 260 field operations.