Memorial plaque for abducted journalists reinstalled for tenth time

For the tenth time, journalists from Serbian-language media in Kosovo and central Serbia have reinstalled a memorial plaque dedicated to Radio Priština journalists Ranko Perenić and Đuro Slavuj, who were abducted. The plaque is situated on the road between Velika Hoča and Zočište.

The initiative, organized by the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), was attended by family members of the abducted journalists, representatives from the OSCE, and the Association of Families of Missing Serbs in the Orahovac municipality. The memorial was first erected in 2012, marking the 14th anniversary of the journalists' disappearance.

Perenić and Slavuj vanished on August 21, 1998, while traveling to the Monastery of Holy Vрачи to cover the return of abducted monks. They were last seen in Velika Hoča before heading towards Zočište. Shortly after, they took a wrong turn and encountered members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), after which all traces of them were lost. To this day, their families have received no official information regarding their fate.

The memorial plaque, bearing the inscription "Here disappeared journalists on August 21, 1998. We are looking for them" in both Serbian and Albanian, has been destroyed nine times previously. Police have only identified a perpetrator once. The plaque was last demolished in late July of this year. In 2017, EULEX confirmed that Perenić and Slavuj were abducted by KLA members, who forced them into an unknown direction at gunpoint. Investigations into missing and murdered persons were initially handled by UNMIK, then by EULEX, which confirmed the KLA's involvement. Responsibility for resolving these crimes now lies with Kosovo's institutions.

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Here disappeared journalists on August 21, 1998. We are looking for them.