Today, Kosova commemorates the 24th anniversary of the Reçak Massacre, where on January 15, 1999, over 45 innocent Albanian civilians were murdered by Milosevic’s Serbian forces.

Former head of the OSCE Monitoring Mission in Kosova, Ambassador William Walker, described the Reçak Massacre as a crime against humanity.

In the early hours of the morning of January 15, the village of Reçak woke up surrounded. According to witnesses, around 6:30 a.m. Serbian forces began bombarding the village with heavy artillery.

After the bombing stopped, Serbian forces entered the village and began raids.

The Reçak massacre horrified the world and awakened the conscience of world diplomacy to mobilize Kosova. The horrors caused in the village of Reçak brought to the attention of the entire civilized world and revealed the truth about the genocidal plan of the ex-criminal Slobodan Milosevic.

After the Reçak Massacre, a 48-hour fighting between the KLA and the Serbian forces resumed for the recovery of the corpses. Serbia wanted to eliminate the traces of the crime, but this attempt of theirs failed as the world saw the crime of the Serbian forces televised. For the first time, missionaries and diplomats of the world were horrified by the awful scenes and barbaric massacres carried out by the Serbian forces against the Albanian civilian population.

In commemoration of the Reçak Massacre, the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosova, Glauk Konjufca, President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Ambassador William Walker will pay homage at the Reçak Memorial Complex at 10 am today.

Afterwards, the heads of state and the American diplomat, former head of the OSCE Monitoring Mission in Kosova, will participate in the commemorative seminar on the 24th anniversary of the Reçak Massacre, which will be held at the House of Culture in Shtime.

Homages are expected to be paid by local authorities as well as representatives of political parties and institutions of the Republic of Kosova.

/a.p./