HLC researches war crimes and human rights violations in Kosovo in order to prevent manipulation of the number of victims, to build historical memory and to educate future generations about the legacy of the past.
Estimates by several independent sources say that some 8,000-10,000 Albanians were killed and 3,500 disappeared during the conflict in Kosovo. Also, some 2,000 - 2,500 Serbs, Roma, Bosniaks and ‘disloyal’ Albanians are believed to have been killed, with some 1,300 missing, according to estimates released in December 2000. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) documentation lists 2,047 people [belonging to all ethnic communities] as still missing.
Research in Kosovo is conducted by 10 researchers and in Serbia by one. They take statements from witnesses, family members and other persons in possession of information about the fate of the victims. These statements and other documents relating to the victims are analyzed by eight researchers/analysts, who use this material to compile victim records arranged according to time of incident, place of incident and source.
In 2008, HLC took statements from 1.897 witnesses and relatives of killed and missing persons in Kosovo. On the basis of these statements HLC was able to register 3,229 persons who were killed or disappeared from January 1998 to December 2000.
On 1 September 2007 the researchers/analysts began making brief records about killed, abducted and missing persons according to date, location and source of information. Every record contains the victim’s particulars, a factual description of the incident and the source. The records are based on witness and family member statements and other relevant documents about killings and disappearances in Kosovo.
By the end of December 2008, the researchers/analysts written a total of 4,112 narrative summaries documenting the fates of 7.723 victims or 56,15 per cent of the total registered [13.754]. In 824 of the records there is mention of more than 200 mass incidents involving 3.112 victims. Most of these victims were killed or disappeared between 24 March and 15 June 1999 while the Serbian police and army were present in Kosovo.
The names of victims about whom HLC has comprehensive personal data and information about the circumstances in which each victim was killed or was forcibly disappeared can be found at: List of victims with comprehensive data.
On the List of victims with incomplete data HLC lists the victims about whom it has incomplete data. Some personal data, or data concerning the circumstances in which the victim was killed or was forcibly disappeared is still required.
If you have any information about the victims that appear on either of these lists please contact us.