Kosovar authorities announced the discovery of the remains of four people in a mass grave near the village of Jabuka, in northern Kosovo, on the evening of Monday, August 3.
The Kosovo Government Commission on Missing Persons stated that the remains found near Jabuka are believed to belong to victims of forced disappearance during the war.
The remains were transferred to a laboratory for DNA analysis to attempt identification.
Findings in Zubin Potok
On Saturday, August 1, the remains of seven people were found in a mass grave in the village of Kalludër, in the Zubin Potok region of northern Kosovo.
Estimated number of victims that could be buried in the Zubin Potok mass grave site.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated that the mass grave in Zubin Potok could contain the remains of 23 Kosovo Albanian victims who were 'forcibly abducted, executed, and whose bodies were buried in order to conceal the horrible crime committed by Serbian forces in the spring of 1999.'
It is reported that the victims in the Zubin Potok site may be a group of intellectuals from Mitrovica, including doctors, professors, and human rights defenders, who have been missing since April 19, 1999.
The prosecutor's office announced the arrest of three men suspected of war crimes in connection with the case, including two Serbs from Zubin Potok.
Investigative context
The mass graves are being investigated for alleged war crimes committed during the 1998-1999 conflict between Serbian forces and Kosovar separatists.
Prosecutors stated that excavation and identification operations at the two sites could last several months.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti called on the international community to pressure Belgrade to open the archives of the Yugoslav army to facilitate the location of other mass graves.
A joint commission of Kosovar and Serbian experts met for the first time in January under the auspices of Brussels to launch cooperation on searching for missing persons.
