The next episode of "Confrontation Podcast", brings a conversation with the director of the Institute for War Crimes (IKKL), Atdhe Hetemi, who explains the mandate, work to date, and the challenges of documenting war crimes in Kosovo.
The conversation begins with one of the most important chapters of collective memory, the way Kosovo is building its historical archive for crimes committed by Serbian forces.
The investigation explained that the institute has a clear legal framework for documenting crimes against humanity, economic, psycho-social crimes, environmental damage, and the destruction of cultural heritage.
The priority period remains January 1, 1998 – June 1999, but the law also allows space for documenting crimes that led to the war – including the poisoning of students in the 90s and the killings of Albanian soldiers in the former Yugoslav People's Army.
A significant part of the episode is dedicated to the poisoning of students in 1990–1992, a topic that younger generations are almost unfamiliar with.
IKKL has begun documenting this tragic chapter, which has not been institutionalized to date.
"It is painful that as a society we have not managed to document crimes in earlier periods," says Hetemi on "Përballje Podcast" with Telegrafit editor-in-chief Muhamet Hajrullahu, emphasizing that the lack of documentation has left large gaps.
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An important part of the discussion explains the process of submitting, archiving, and verifying materials.
Today, the IKKL operates with minutes, registers, archival funds with the name of the submitter, and advanced professional standards, making the institute a reference center for researchers, journalists, producers, and international institutions.
In just two years, IKKL has collected materials from 650–700 different sources, including documents from war photojournalists, local and international media, surviving victims, their families, and foreign institutions.
The archive includes materials from 14 countries and is made available for academic research, scientific papers, documentaries, and various cultural projects.
According to Hetemi, this has transformed the institute into a "node for the collection and distribution of historical truth."
Another sensitive topic touched upon in the episode is the confrontation with Serbian propaganda, including documentaries that aim to distort the events of the war.
Photo: Ridvan Slivova
According to Hetemi, Kosovo has historically been on the defensive due to a lack of institutional documentation, but this gap is gradually being filled by the IKKL with sustainable and professionally verifiable work.
The investigation shows that when he was appointed director in 2023, the institution had only one staff member - himself.
"Today there are over 40 employees, spread across all regions of Kosovo, with an archive of international standards and numerous research and cultural projects," he stated.
The episode addresses the importance of institutional and financial support, the role of the state, but also the responsibility of society not to ignore the past./Telegraph/.
