Back Massaker von Meja German Pokolj u Meji Croatian Մեժայի կոտորած HY Pembantaian Meja ID Massacro di Meja Italian Резня в Меже Russian Masakr u Meji SH Masakra e Mejës SQ Різанина у Межі Ukrainian
| Meja massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Meja, Oriza, and other villages in the Caragoj valley, near Gjakovë, FR Yugoslavia (modern Kosovo) |
| Date | 27–28 April 1999 |
| Target | Kosovo Albanian males between the ages of 16 and 60[1] |
Attack type | Mass murder, androcide, ethnic cleansing |
| Deaths | 377 to nearly 500[2] |
| Perpetrators | Yugoslav security forces and Serbian police |
| Motive | Anti-Albanian sentiment |
The Meja massacre (Albanian: Masakra e Mejës) was the mass execution of at least 377 Albanian Muslim and Catholic civilians during the Kosovo War with the purpose of ethnic cleansing, which took place on 27 April 1999.[3][4] The majority of the victims were from neighbouring areas around Meja and were temporarily in Meja as refugees who wanted to cross into Albania but were stopped there by the Serbian military.[5] It was committed by Serbian police and army forces in the Reka Operation which began after the killing of six Serbian policemen by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
The executions occurred in the village of Meja near the town of Gjakova. The victims were pulled from refugee convoys at a checkpoint in Meja and their families were ordered to proceed to Albania. Men and boys were separated and then executed by the road.[6][7] It is one of the largest massacres in the Kosovo War.[8] Many of the bodies of the victims were found in the Batajnica mass graves. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has convicted several Serbian army and police officers for their involvement.[9]
- ^ "U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1999 - Serbia-Montenegro". UNHCR. 25 February 2000. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ Elizabeth, Lape (2011). Neal, Derrick J.; Wells II, Linton (eds.). "Comprehensive Approach on UNSCR 1325: Why the U.S. and Others Should Follow" (PDF). Capability Development in Support of Comprehensive Approaches: Transforming International Civil-Military Interactions: 184.
The gendercidal massacres continued throughout the war, including the largest known mass killing at Meja on April 27. It was estimated that there were almost 500 men who may have been killed at that location.
- ^ Rexhbogaj, Donjeta (8 December 2023). "Kosovo Indicts 53 Members of Serbian Forces for 1999 Village Massacre". Balkan Insight.
- ^ Stojanovic, Milica. "Kosovo War Criminal Elected VP of Serbian Parliament". Genocide Watch.
- ^ "UNDER ORDERS: War Crimes in Kosovo - 6. Djakovica Municipality". Human Rights Watch.
- ^ Ball, Howard (2002). War Crimes and Justice: A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO. pp. 197–. ISBN 9781576078990. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
OSCEwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Jones, Adam (2006). Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction. Routledge. p. 330. ISBN 9781134259809. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
HaxhiajStojanovicwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).