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UÇKHistory and Memory

17 January 1982 · 1981–1989

The killing of Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka

On 17 January 1982, in Untergruppenbach, Germany, two unidentified gunmen shot the exile activists Jusuf Gërvalla, his brother Bardhosh and Kadri Zeka. All three died.
Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.Before the warPolitics
Bronze bust on a stone plinth in a square in front of the theatre building.
The bust of Jusuf Gërvalla in front of the city theatre in Peja. Photograph taken in August 2018.Photo: Shkurte ramushi · 2018-08-18 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Two of them died at the scene and Jusuf Gërvalla a few hours later in hospital [1]. Suspicion fell on the Yugoslav secret service, but the case has never been judicially resolved; serious sources describe the killing as “allegedly” carried out by the Yugoslav secret service [2].

Sources

  1. [1]Gemeinde Untergruppenbach. Gedenken zum 40. Todestag von Jusuf Gervalla. 2022-01-13. https://www.untergruppenbach.de/rathaus-service/aktuelles/rathaus-aktuell/1983/gedenken-zum-40-todestag-von-jusuf-gervalla. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. [2]Perparim Isufi. Donika Gervalla-Schwarz: Childhood Emigrant Becomes Kosovo's Top Diplomat. Balkan Insight (BIRN), 2021-04-14. https://balkaninsight.com/2021/04/14/donika-gervalla-schwarz-childhood-emigrant-becomes-kosovos-top-diplomat/bi/. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Editorial status: Awaiting verificationDrafted from the cited sources; not yet fully reviewed by the editors.

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