UNMIK/PR/826
Pristina - A thorough assessment conducted by the Office on Missing Persons and Forensics (OMPF) and the UNMIK Police Missing Persons Unit has determined that there is no mass grave near the “Balkan” factory in Suva Reka.
The assessment team, led by an OMPF forensic archaeologist, excavated nine test trenches in a rubbish dump located behind the factory, which was the area identified in the information received. Most of the trenches exceeded three metres in depth.
No evidence of human remains was found. Analysis of the soil layers also indicated that the ground had never been significantly disturbed.
OMPF was acting on allegations made in August by Rada Trajkovic, a member of the Coordination Centre for Kosovo and Metohija.
In statements made to Serbian media, she had claimed that a mass grave had been photographed and that pieces of clothing and other samples had been collected for analysis and identification of bodies.
The OMPF assessment found that the site had not been disturbed and that there was no evidence of any previous investigation having taken place there.
OMPF remains ready to act on any new information concerning the existence of previously unknown graves. However, the success of such investigations depends on the quality and reliability of the information provided.
