Representative from Bujanovac Shaip Kamberi submitted a request for the formation of a special parliamentary committee that would investigate the cases of death of Albanian soldiers in the former Yugoslavia People's Army (JNA) during the 1980s.
Kamberi sent this request to the President of the Serbian Parliament, Ana Brnabić, at a time when Serbia is preparing to re-introduce mandatory military service.
In a post on his Facebook profile, Kamberi asked for clarification on the death of 135 Albanian soldiers in the ranks of the JNA during the 1980s, reports Radio Free Europe.
"Many of these cases, registered as 'suicides', 'accidents' or 'disciplinary offences', were considered suspicious by the families of the victims, as they often reported traces of violence on the bodies that were returned to them," Kamberi said.
Institutional discrimination
He added that the lack of independent investigations and transparency regarding those murders strengthened the belief that "we are dealing with murders for ethnic and political motives, in a period when Albanians in the JNA faced discrimination, stigmatization and open hostility."
"This phenomenon has remained silent and undocumented in public discourse in Serbia, which reflects a serious lack of dealing with the past and institutional discrimination against Albanians," he emphasized.
Kamberi pointed out that the commission, if approved, would also include representatives of civil society and the Albanian community.
Reinstatement of mandatory military service in Serbia
According to Kamberi, the re-introduction of mandatory military service causes concern among Albanians in the Preševo Valley due to "painful historical experiences of discriminatory treatment and tragedies experienced by young Albanians in the past while serving in the JNA".
More than 60.000 Albanians live in Serbia, who make up the fourth largest minority community, according to the latest population census in 2022.
Albanians in the Preševo Valley - a term that includes Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac, municipalities in the south of Serbia with a majority Albanian population - constantly complain about discrimination.
In international reports, the Preševo Valley is described as completely isolated and it is said that it only receives attention during the election.
Last year, the authorities started the process of restoring mandatory military service.
Last summer, the Government of Serbia announced that compulsory military service, which was abolished on January 1, 2011, would be reintroduced in 2025.
This week, the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Milan Mojsilović, stated that the country has not given up on the re-introduction of mandatory military service and added that intensive preparations are being made.
According to him, significant funds were invested in renovating the barracks and purchasing equipment. He added that the next step will be "harmonizing the legal framework with what we want, 75 days of military service", and that the Serbian Parliament is expected to adopt a law on the matter.
