The Institute for Crimes Committed During the War (IKKL) has published, for the first time, an official report on the victims of the Kosovo war, documenting 12,230 people killed between 1 January 1998 and 20 June 1999.

The report was presented by the Institute’s Director, Atdhe Hetemi, and Kosovo’s Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who described the document as an important step towards establishing the truth and preserving historical memory.

“For the period from 1 January 1998 to 20 June 1999, a total of 12,230 war victims in Kosovo have been documented. Every number represents loved ones who were killed, families that were torn apart, and the grief and loss we continue to feel today. Particularly devastating is the burden of crimes committed against children. The report documents 1,047 children aged 0–17 who were killed, 94 who died as a result of wartime conditions, while the fate and whereabouts of 100 children who were forcibly disappeared remain unknown,” Kurti said.

He stressed that the published list is preliminary and will continue to be updated with new evidence and information.

“Without documentation, there can be no memory, no justice, and no lasting peace,” Kurti said, calling on citizens who possess relevant information to cooperate with the Institute.

The Acting Prime Minister also criticised Serbia for failing to implement the Declaration on Missing Persons, agreed on 2 May 2023 in Brussels, and for refusing to open its military archives.

“I call on the international community to exert pressure on Serbia to reverse its decision to classify these documents for 30 years, until 2044, and to open the archives of the 37th Motorised Brigade of the Yugoslav Army, so that information on the fate of missing persons in Kosovo can be obtained,” he said.

Meanwhile, Atdhe Hetemi, Director of the Institute for Crimes Committed During the War, said the report excludes 267 cases that had appeared on previous lists because they involved individuals killed outside the territory of Kosovo.

“This exclusion does not deny their status as victims; it simply reflects that they do not meet the criteria established for this report,” Hetemi explained.

According to Hetemi, the report was compiled using institutional records, testimonies from victims’ families, and the Institute’s own research, while adhering to the principles of completeness, comparability, traceability, and data integrity.

The demographic analysis shows that the majority of victims were male, with those aged 18 to 50 being the most affected group. Children and people over the age of 65 were identified as among the most vulnerable.

According to the report, the regions most heavily affected by the war were Gjakova, Mitrovica, and Prishtina, while Gjilan recorded the lowest number of victims. The highest number of killings occurred in 1999, particularly during the first months of that year.

The report also notes that 997 people were killed in the post-war period, between 21 June 1999 and 31 December 2000.