Kosovo-based NGO TOKA recognized individuals, institutions, and citizen groups for their volunteerism across various fields during a conference titled “Volunteering of the Year,” on Thursday, December 5. Among the awardees, psychologist Donika Shahini Lami, who covered the war as a journalist received the title of ‘Most Supportive Public Figure of the Year’ for her work in safeguarding a notebook belonging to the children of the massacred Jashari family, who were murdered in Drenica in 1998.

This emotional relic, which has been preserved for over two decades, was donated in June 2024 to BIRN’s Reporting House exhibition in Prishtina, where it is displayed as a symbol of Kosovo’s history and the resilience of its people.

Following the award ceremony, Shahini-Lami said that she is “deeply honored and grateful” for the award “ for the Jashari family notebook”.

“ I obtained it while working as a coordinator for the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, four days after the Jashari family’s funeral. My colleagues and I entered the Jashari family homes, where I found and took this notebook as evidence of lives tragically cut short,” she explained.

She further emphasised that for the past 25 years, the collective mission has been to reveal the truth about a childhood unjustly interrupted.

“For 25 years, documenting the truth has been my daily mission. The Reporting House is now offering Kosovar children a chance to experience a piece of our country’s history, a history that is both heartbreaking and a source of pride,” she added.

Shahini-Lami preserved the notebook from March 14, 1998, until June 10, 2024, when she officially donated it to the Reporting House museum, also known as the “House of Journalists.”

The notebook contains drawings by the Jashari children, including the name of Besarta Jashari, the sole survivor of the Jashari family massacre. 

It is now the main artefact displayed at the Reporting House museum, located in the former Germia Department Store building in central Prishtina. The museum is open to visitors from Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

On March 5-7, 1998, 55 members of the Jashari family were killed by Serbian forces during a siege on their compound. The family home and graves have since been designated as monuments of cultural heritage. 

Kosovo commemorates these events annually, honoring the 20 members of Adem Jashari’s immediate family and over 30 relatives killed during the attack by forces of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime.

Among those who survived the three-day assault are Bashkim Jashari, now Commander of the Kosovo Security Forces, and Besarta Jashari.

Adem Jashari was a key figure in Kosovo’s struggle for independence from Serbia during the 1990s. He was one of the founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, an armed group that fought against the Yugoslav and Serbian authorities to achieve independence for Kosovo.

He became a symbol of resistance and sacrifice after he, along with over 50 members of his extended family, was killed in a three day siege by Yugoslav forces at his home in Prekaz, Kosovo, in March 1998.

The Reporting House exhibition showcases journalism, photography, and media artefacts from the time, alongside contemporary artwork reflecting on the long-term impact of the 1998-99 war.