Today in history, 27 October: The killing of Bajram Kelmendi and his two sons

The recorded event closest to today's date in the archive calendar.

Date of the event: 24–26 March 1999
Place: Prishtina
Evidence status: Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.

On the night of 24–25 March 1999, the first night of NATO bombing, uniformed men entered the Prishtina home of human rights lawyer Bajram Kelmendi and took him and his sons Kastriot and Kushtrim away. Their bodies were found on 26 March.

Full event record, with sources and map

Historical context

1999

From the Reçak massacre to the entry of KFOR: six months that saw failed negotiations, NATO's intervention, the mass expulsion of Albanians and crimes documented by international courts.

Read the chapter “1999: Reçak, expulsions and the end of the war”

Sources

[1]Fred Abrahams, Benjamin Ward. Under Orders: War Crimes in Kosovo. 2001-10-26. https://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/kosovo/. Accessed 2026-09-16.
[2]OSBE — Zyra për Institucione Demokratike dhe të Drejta të Njeriut (ODIHR). Kosovo/Kosova: As Seen, As Told: An analysis of the human rights findings of the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission, October 1998 to June 1999. 1999. https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/d/d/17772.pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16.
[3]Tribunali Penal Ndërkombëtar për ish-Jugosllavinë (ICTY). Prosecutor v. Vlastimir Đorđević, Public Judgement with Confidential Annex. 2011-02-23. IT-05-87/1-T. https://www.icty.org/x/cases/djordjevic/tjug/en/110223_djordjevic_judgt_en.pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16.