Kosovo through the lens, interview with the photojournalist of 1999

Thomas Sjorup, an international photojournalist who closely documented the tragic events of the Kosovo War in 1999, has recently published his testimonies from the war. Through photography, he has preserved painful but vital memories for the history of our country.

During an interview with The Geopost, Thomas shares his personal and professional experiences from that time, including the emotional challenges he experienced and his efforts to maintain objectivity under extreme circumstances.

In his book "Kosovo at War", which he promoted on Wednesday in Pristina, Sjorup shows the crimes committed by the Serbian state against Albanians.

The full interview follows:

The Geopost: Thank you very much for this interview with The Geopost.

You worked as a reporter and took photographs during the Kosovo War in 1999. What was that like emotionally for you? How did you manage to remain objective while taking the photographs?

Thomas: As a photojournalist, you have to put your emotions aside first. It's not easy, but if you're going to work as a professional photographer and journalist, you have to put your feelings aside and just focus on the people in front of you and the camera. That's the most important thing in situations like this.

The Geopost: You have made a book about the Kosovo War and your photographic documentation. How did you choose the photos for the book? What criteria did you use to choose the photos for this book?

Thomas: Well, some of the photos are certainly valuable because they are beautiful photos, even if they come from a bad time. And some of the photos are more like historical documents. As far as historical documents go, I have a lot of photos that have never been published because you can only publish a certain number of photos, and as a photographer, you do a lot. I have the attitude that there are no photos that you shouldn't take. There are photos that you shouldn't publish. And I've been working with that my whole life. In fact, I have a lot of photos of dead people and all kinds of bad things that have never been published because they had no purpose or value for reporting. But as a historical document, they make sense. That's why some of the photos in this book have never been published before, but I'm publishing them now because they are important as a historical document.

The Geopost: How did the families in this book react to all these photos? How did they affect them? What challenges did they face?

Thomas: The families had no influence on my selection of photos for the book. I made the selection myself. Selecting the photos and creating the book was a long process. And it was also a kind of theoretical process for me to go through all this material again and look at all the images again.

The Geopost: How did you feel when you came to Kosovo after the events of 1999-2025? How do you see the development of our society?

Thomas: I just got back from Pristina yesterday and Pristina has grown a lot. I think the city is four times bigger now than it was in 1999 and there are new houses. It's good to see that Kosovo is growing and progressing.

The Geopost: What is your message to the people and society in Kosovo? You have experienced the war and witnessed horrific events and massacres. What is your final message?

Thomas: This job has its price. And it had its price for me. I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and I did this job for many years. And it's not in vain.

You have to be aware that if you're going to pursue this profession, there's a price. But I wouldn't have done anything differently. I'm proud of what I did and it was meaningful, and it still is. I just got back from Kosovo last night and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet some of the people I photographed during the war, who are featured in the book. For me, it was a fantastic opportunity to see those people again. And it really was fantastic. And something that really helps me move forward with my life. And if I could say one more thing here: I have the cover of the book. There's this man on the cover and I think it was because it was during the fighting and everything happened so fast. I just stopped and took a picture of him, and then he walked to one side and I walked to the other. I don't know who he is. I don't even know his name. And maybe—I don't know if he's still alive or if he died during the war. For me, it would be fantastic to connect with maybe some of his family members, or with him, I hope he's still alive.

/The Geopost