This documentary features testimonies from witnesses to massacres and mass killings of Albanians during 1998–1999. Through the accounts of survivors of the massacres in Abri, Poklek, Studime, Rezallë, Izbicë, Tërnje, Gjakova, and Krushë, the documentary presents first-hand testimony about crimes committed during the war in Kosovo. The survivors recount the horrors of that period, describing how they managed to escape and the moments when they witnessed the execution of Albanian civilians at close range, offering testimony to the suffering and loss caused by these massacres.
Leutrim Caraku is one of six survivors of the massacre in the village of Poklek, Drenas, which took place on the 17th of April 1999. He recalls the tragic events of that day and recounts how he managed to survive one of the gravest massacres committed against Albanian civilians during the war.
Another grave crime took place on the night of the 2nd of May 1999 in the village of Studime, Vushtrri, where the victims were executed at close range with firearms, most of them being shot in the chest and head. That night, 92 people were killed during an operation carried out by police, military, and paramilitary forces of the Milošević regime. Shukri Gërxhaliu and Idriz Popova are witnesses to this massacre and recount their experiences of a night that had devastating consequences for families and the wider community.
The massacre in the village of Abri e Epërme, Drenas, took place on the 26th of September 1998, with 23 members of the Deliu family and nine members of the Mulliqi family being killed and massacred. Imer Deliu, a witness to, and survivor of, this tragedy, speaks about the crime committed in Abri e Epërme and emphasises that, despite its gravity, it was largely overlooked by the justice system.
Ismet Rukolli is a survivor of the Rezallë Massacre, in which 98 people were killed. On the 5th of April 1999 alone, around 80 people were killed. Through his testimony, he recalls the events of that day and the lasting consequences the massacre had for the victims’ families and for the residents of the village.
On the 28th of March 1999, in the village of Izbicë, Skenderaj, 147 Albanian civilians were massacred, including women and children. Milazim Thaçi is a survivor of this atrocity. He recounts how he and 32 other Albanian men were separated from the rest of the crowd and taken towards a nearby wooded area to be executed. Only three men from that group survived, and his testimony remains one of the most harrowing accounts of the massacre.
Bekim Gashi, from the village of Tërrnje in the municipality of Suharekë, witnessed the killing of 46 people, including his mother and four sisters, who are still listed as missing. Through his testimony, he conveys not only the memory of the massacre, but also the continuing pain endured by families who still do not know the fate of their loved ones.
The documentary also features the testimony of Vlora Ymeraga from Gjakova, who continues to live in the hope of receiving news about her missing husband. Her story reflects the experience of many families in Kosovo who, even decades after the war, continue to seek the truth about relatives who were forcibly disappeared.
Mehmet Krasniqi survived the massacre in Krushë and recounts the horror of the night of the 25th of March 1999, when Serbian forces killed 113 men from the village. His testimony documents one of the gravest crimes committed during the war and recalls the profound and lasting consequences the massacre had on the victims’ families and the entire community.