Mark Gjonaj/
Today, we gather not only to remember but to honor the lives lost, the voices silenced, and the immense suffering endured by the people of Kosova during the horrific genocide that ravaged their land. We stand united in solemn remembrance of the victims—the 13,950 killed, the 20,000 raped, and the 1,600 who remain missing to this day. We recognize the deep and lasting scars left upon the families and communities torn apart by one of the darkest chapters in recent European history. In 1999, the world witnessed the brutal actions of the Serbian regime, as they launched a systematic campaign to eradicate the Albanian population of Kosova.
It was an act of violence driven by hatred, aiming to exterminate, displace, and destroy a people. Thousands of innocent men, women, and children were murdered. Entire villages were burned to the ground. Families were torn apart, and countless women were subjected to sexual violence and trauma that will echo through generations.
These acts were not isolated or random—they were the deliberate actions of a state seeking to erase an entire ethnic group. The violence was calculated and carried out with the full force of the Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces. It was a crime against humanity, a crime that cannot and will not be forgotten.
We must name it as it is: genocide.
And we must say, without hesitation, that we condemn these actions with all the strength of our shared humanity. In the face of this brutality, the people of Kosova did not surrender. As we stand here today, we must commit to remembering not just the tragedy, but the strength of the Albanian people in Kosove. We must honor their bravery, their fight for freedom, and their resilience in the face of an unimaginable nightmare. It is also essential that we recognize the importance of Kosova’s independence, the right of its people to determine their own future, and the need for justice and accountability for the victims of the genocide.
Let us not forget the innocent lives taken too soon, the children who never got to grow up,
the fathers who never came home,
and the mothers who still mourn their lost families.
Let us not forget the names of those who are missing, whose families are still left without answers, whose graves remain unmarked, whose memories are still hidden beneath the rubble of a war that should never have happened. In honoring them, we must also call for justice. The perpetrators of these heinous acts must be held accountable for their crimes. And we must stand in solidarity with the people of Kosova, ensuring that they are never again subjected to such horrors, that their sovereignty and their right to live in peace are respected by all.
To the survivors, to the families, and to the people of Kosova—your pain is not forgotten, your voices are not silenced, and your struggle for freedom will always be remembered. Today, we say with unwavering conviction: We stand with you. We will continue to fight for justice, for truth, and for the recognition of the horrors that took place on your soil.
We will not allow the memory of these atrocities to fade. The genocide in Kosova is a stark reminder of the horrors that can unfold when hatred and violence are allowed to reign unchecked. But it is also a testament to the power of the human spirit to resist, to fight, and to rise again. May the souls of the victims rest in peace, and may we, as a global community, vow to ensure that their suffering was not in vain.