On Thursday, Kosovo began three days of commemorations marking the 28th anniversary of the killing of 59 members of the Jashari family during the 1998 siege by Serbian police and military forces in Prekaz, which lasted from March 5 to March 7, an event commemorated as the “KLA Epopee.”

The commemorations started with solemn sessions by the Government, the Assembly of Kosovo, and a ceremony at the Adem Jashari barracks, attended by the country’s leaders and members of the government cabinet. 

Activities will continue until March 7, including visits to the Jashari Memorial Complex in Prekaz and concluding with the traditional “Night of Fires.”

At the barracks ceremony, President Vjosa Osmani said that the Jashari family chose sacrifice rather than the easier path.

“Today we remember the price of freedom and the oath that was made so that we live free and with dignity. [The Jashari family] did not choose the easy path, but sacrifice, confrontation and above all else, immortality,” Osmani said.

“In Prekaz, the legendary commander Adem Jashari, and his family turned their home into a fortress of resistance and their blood into the seal of our freedom and independence,” she added.

Osmani also described the Kosovo Liberation Army as “the voice of an oppressed population.”

Prime Minister Albin Kurti said March 5 is not only a day of honouring the fallen but also a moment to reflect on Kosovo’s past and future.

“In the modern history of Kosovo, the Epic of the KLA represents the most decisive moment on the path toward freedom in Kosovo during the 20th century,” Kurti said.

During the Assembly’s commemorative session, Speaker Albulena Haxhiu said the KLA Epic is more than a historical event.

“It is an eternal message that sacrifice for freedom can change the course of history,” Haxhiu said.

“During three days of fighting, the entire history of Kosovo passed through the Jashari family and their determination not to leave their land. In that house, aware of what was coming, no one left,” she added.

During the three-day siege, Adem Jashari was killed, along with 22 members of his immediate family and dozens of relatives. In total, 59 members of the Jashari family were killed during the attack, which became a defining moment in Kosovo’s resistance during the late 1990s.

Of the family members present during the siege, only Bashkim Jashari, now commander of the Kosovo Security Force, KSF,  and Besarta Jashari—Hamze Jashari’s daughter—survived.