ICRC publishes the fourth edition of the “Book of
Missing in relation to the events in Kosovo”
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As part of the ongoing process to clarify the fate of people who disappeared during the conflict in Kosovo, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has
today published the Book of Missing, which contains the names of 2,047 people reported missing by their families from all communities in Kosovo.
The Book of Missing will be widely distributed in Kosovo, Serbia and countries in the region.
In Kosovo, the book will be available for consultation in ICRC offices, local Red Cross branches and associations of the families of the missing.
It is accessible also on the ICRC website: http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/ The book has been published for the sake of the families of the missing, to help them find out what happened to their relatives during the conflict.
It is an appeal to members of the public, to the authorities and to all those who might possess reliable information on the whereabouts of missing persons to come forward and share it.
The book also acts as a reminder that for eight years now, more than two thousand families from different ethnic backgrounds continue to live in uncertainty, waiting for news on the fate of their loved ones.
The right to know the fate of a relative is a fundamental concern of international humanitarian and human rights law and it must be respected.
The authorities or former parties to the conflict are obliged to provide answers.
The ICRC will continue to support the families of the missing in their quest to find out the truth and to approach authorities reminding them of their obligation and responsibility to release information on the whereabouts of those unaccounted for.
A decade of armed conflicts in the Balkans in the '90s has caused the disappearance of thousands of people.
Even today, more than 17.000 people are listed by the ICRC as missing in connection to these conflicts.
This further underlines the responsibility of the authorities or former parties to the conflict to take swift action to shed light on the fate of those who disappeared in the territories under their control.
Only answers will enable the families to gain closure on the violent events that disrupted their lives.
For further information, please contact:
Mr Idriz Gashi, ICRC Kosovo, tel.: +377 44 168 848
See also ICRC media contacts
This article on www.icrc.org
The Book of Missing will be widely distributed in Kosovo, Serbia and countries in the region.
In Kosovo, the book will be available for consultation in ICRC offices, local Red Cross branches and associations of the families of the missing.
It is accessible also on the ICRC website: http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/ The book has been published for the sake of the families of the missing, to help them find out what happened to their relatives during the conflict.
It is an appeal to members of the public, to the authorities and to all those who might possess reliable information on the whereabouts of missing persons to come forward and share it.
The book also acts as a reminder that for eight years now, more than two thousand families from different ethnic backgrounds continue to live in uncertainty, waiting for news on the fate of their loved ones.
The right to know the fate of a relative is a fundamental concern of international humanitarian and human rights law and it must be respected.
The authorities or former parties to the conflict are obliged to provide answers.
The ICRC will continue to support the families of the missing in their quest to find out the truth and to approach authorities reminding them of their obligation and responsibility to release information on the whereabouts of those unaccounted for.
A decade of armed conflicts in the Balkans in the '90s has caused the disappearance of thousands of people.
Even today, more than 17.000 people are listed by the ICRC as missing in connection to these conflicts.
This further underlines the responsibility of the authorities or former parties to the conflict to take swift action to shed light on the fate of those who disappeared in the territories under their control.
Only answers will enable the families to gain closure on the violent events that disrupted their lives.
For further information, please contact:
Mr Idriz Gashi, ICRC Kosovo, tel.: +377 44 168 848
See also ICRC media contacts
This article on www.icrc.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
