UNMIK police, EULEX, and the institutions in Pristina did not manage to solve it the disappearance of Đura Slavuj and Ranko Perenić. In the end, they formally suspended the investigation.
"That is why it is necessary to implement the two resolutions adopted by the European Federation of Journalists at the proposal of UNS, namely to form the International Commission for the Investigation of Murders of Journalists in Kosovo. Also, it is very important that the specialized chambers for war crimes in Kosovo, based in The Hague, deal with the murders of all journalists in Kosovo during this period, and that is what we rightly expect and demand."said Nino Brajović, Secretary General of UNS.
Journalist Jelena Petković, who investigated murdered and missing journalists, said that almost a quarter of a century had passed since the disappearance of Slavuj and Perenić, adding that during that time, 11 heads of Umnik, seven heads of EULEX had changed, and the truth had not been revealed.
"We do not have quality investigations that would show us what happened and who are the people responsible for what happened. Today, journalists die in war zones, they die as victims of criminals, and all these crimes begin here because impunity exists here, human rights are relativized to such an extent that they are completely scattered, because we do not know what happened to our colleagues. We should all advocate for the formation of an International Commission to investigate the crimes against journalists in Kosovo that occurred between 1998 and 2005."said Petković.
"It is devastating that nothing is being done to resolve these cases"
Zorica Vorgučić, editor of RTV KiM, stated on behalf of the Society of Journalists from KiM that it is devastating that both the international authorities and the domestic authorities do nothing to find those responsible and clarify the truth.
"It is painful that first of all the Perenić and Slavuj families do not know the real information about what happened to their family members, it is painful that Mateja, who is here today, did not meet his grandfather. And it is also humiliating that both international and domestic authorities do nothing to solve this and other cases of disappearance and murder of journalists."Vorgučić stated and appealed to Albanian colleagues and associations to join, because in addition to Ranko Perenić and Đura Slavuj, there are many more colleagues, Serbs, Albanians, foreigners, who were killed or disappeared and who deserve to be talked about.
UNS President Živojin Rakočević said that until the truth is known and what happened to Perenić and Slavuj, none of the journalists will have true freedom.
"We are in the place where the sign was demolished eight times and restored nine times by our colleagues. We are looking for our colleagues because there is no freedom, because there is no justice and because until we know what happened to them, none of us will have true freedom. We are looking for them, because the families are waiting for justice, because the profession is waiting for justice, because we all know that the system in place is responsible for the silence"Rakočević said.
And the OSCE Mission in Pristina calls on the judicial institutions to find themselves responsible
And the OSCE Mission in Pristina, together with the Association of Journalists and many others, continues to call on judicial institutions to actively search for those responsible for this and other crimes against journalists and media workers, the head of the OSCE Mission said in a video message. in Kosovo, Ambassador Michael Davenport.
"Today, August 21, we remember the life and work of Đur Slavuj and Ranko Perenić, journalists of Radio Priština who disappeared while on a journalistic assignment 24 years ago. By remembering Đur and Ranko, we also remember the other missing journalists. Their disappearance 24 years ago highlights the dangers that brave journalists face while reporting during the conflict, which we especially see today in Ukraine."Davenport said.
He emphasized the importance of finding those responsible for Slavuje’s and Perenić’s fate.
"The OSCE Mission, together with the Association of Journalists and many others, continues to call on judicial institutions to actively seek those responsible for this and other crimes against journalists and media workers. While we remember the missing journalists, we also remember their families and the importance of a public discussion that would contribute to raising awareness about ending impunity. Ending impunity for such crimes is crucial to ensure justice and prevent such crimes in the future."Davenport concluded.
Đuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenić set out to do a report on the liberation of the Monastery of the Holy Witches near Zočište, which was occupied by members of the former KLA.
Seventeen journalists disappeared and were killed during and after the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija.
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