Idriz Rrecaj identified in northern Kosovo mass graves

The family of Idriz Rrecaj, a political activist and decorated ‘Hero of Kosovo’, has confirmed his identification following DNA analysis. His remains were discovered in mass graves in Kalludër and Jabukë, located in the Zubin Potok region of northern Kosovo.

Rrecaj was part of the ‘intellectual group’, a collection of 23 Albanian individuals who were abducted and disappeared on April 19, 1999, during the intensification of Serbian forces' operations in Kosovo. His identification comes after 27 years of uncertainty for his family.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti previously announced that three victims from the mass graves had been identified, confirming they belonged to the missing intellectual group, primarily citizens from Skenderaj and Mitrovica. Rrecaj’s son, Shpëtim Rreci, stated that the official confirmation from the DNA laboratory in The Hague provides a long-awaited answer to the question of his father's whereabouts.