Addressing the harms of state crime: Harms, reparations and victims’ needs in two Kosovo towns

This paper examines three interrelated topics: 1) the harms to individuals and communities resulting from the state crimes that occurred in Kosovo between 1998 and 1999, 2) the reparations implemented so far and 3) the victims’ appreciation of such reparations and their current needs. Specifically the paper focuses on, and compares, harms, reparations and victims’ needs in two Kosovo towns: Prishtina, the capital, and Gjakova, one of the towns most affected by the 1998-99 war, which suffered great physical destruction and large-scale human losses and human rights abuses. The paper relies on in-depth interviews conducted in Prishtina and Gjakova, and a comprehensive analysis of court files, reports of national and international state and non-state organizations and other documents. We proceed in three steps. First, we identify and assess the harms resulting from state crimes, drawing on Greenfield and Paoli’s (2013) Harm Assessment Framework. Second, we consider the reparations that have been implemented so far and, third, we discuss victims’ appreciation of such reparations and their current needs.status: accepte