
Story #4

“We found bone fragments the size of fingers”
(Interview with Maliq Kryeziu)
Maliq Kryeziu’s family was forced to flee their house when Serbian military forces arrived with over thirty tanks to attack their village. The family fled to other relatives, and together with them gathered in the village of Kralan. At least ten thousand displaced people from Kijeva, Klina and Drenica were also gathered in Kralan. Some of the adult men were split from the group as they were bleeding from torture wounds.
For two days they stayed there, hungry and outdoors, even during cold nights. Although Serbs took their money and gold jewelry as payment to release them to Albania, the promise was not fulfilled. The Serbs chose around eighty men, including Mentor, Maliq's 18-year-old son, who were not released to Albania but were sent to what is now known as the Kralan Massacre.
After the war, the Kryeziu family returned from Albania to find that the Serbs had not only burnt down their house. While searching for their son in Kralan, they found also burnt human remains.
For two days they stayed there, hungry and outdoors, even during cold nights. Although Serbs took their money and gold jewelry as payment to release them to Albania, the promise was not fulfilled. The Serbs chose around eighty men, including Mentor, Maliq's 18-year-old son, who were not released to Albania but were sent to what is now known as the Kralan Massacre.
After the war, the Kryeziu family returned from Albania to find that the Serbs had not only burnt down their house. While searching for their son in Kralan, they found also burnt human remains.
These stories are part of “Living with memories of the missing: Memory book with stories of family members of the missing from the last war in Kosovo”, implemented by forumZFD program in Kosovo and Integra, in cooperation with Missing Persons Resource Centre, with the support of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Rockefeller Brothers and Swiss Embassy in Kosovo)