Shootings of Gabriel Grüner and Volker Krämer

Gabriel Grüner and Volker Krämer, two journalists working for the German magazine Stern, were shot at a checkpoint operated by Yugoslavian soldiers at the Dulje Pass on the west side of Kosovo, near the village of Dulje in Prizrenski Podgor, roughly 25 km from Prizren. The shooting occurred on June 13, 1999, two days after the formal end of the Kosovo War. Their translator, Senol Alit, was also killed at the scene. Grüner and Krämer are noted as the first civilians from a NATO country to be killed during the conflict.

Grüner, born August 8, 1963, in Mals, Italy, had studied at the University of Innsbruck and worked as a journalist for eight years, reporting from locations including Afghanistan, Algeria, and Sudan. He had received awards including a World Press Photo Award. At the time of his death he was 35 years old; his girlfriend, Beatrix Gerstberger, was six months pregnant with their child. Krämer, possibly born October 12, 1943, in Germany, had worked for Stern for around thirty years after an apprenticeship at the Rheinische Post publishing house in Düsseldorf, and was known for photography from crisis areas.

According to the account of events, the two men were in Kosovo reporting and photographing in the aftermath of the war, reportedly searching for mass graves. They lost their way and approached Yugoslav troops for help getting back; the soldiers told them they would show them the graves and help them return, but instead the pair were chased and shot as they attempted to escape. Krämer was shot in the head and died immediately at the scene; his body reportedly lay there for several hours before a Spiegel editor photographed it from a safe distance. Grüner was badly wounded, was found by British soldiers, and was taken to a hospital in Tetovo, Macedonia, where he was pronounced dead later that day. The reason the soldiers opened fire has not been established, and it remains unclear whether the journalists' vehicle was marked.

The killings had a significant effect on the editorial staff at Stern, compounded by these not being the first of the magazine's journalists killed on assignment. Internal research into the circumstances was reportedly complicated by editors' emotional involvement in the case; relatives were said to be relieved that an investigation took place but had concerns about how its results were eventually published. The deaths contributed to broader industry attention on protections for journalists working in conflict zones, including changes intended to keep refugees and civilians away from active conflict lines and increased troop presence in affected areas.

In memory of the two journalists, the Gabriel-Grüner-Grant was established in 1999, an annual award valued at EUR 6,000 for courageous journalism. A memorial stone for Grüner and Krämer stands at the Dulje Pass in Kosovo.