The Court of Appeals hearing scheduled for October 28 in the case against Arsim Syla has been postponed because the injured party has not yet appointed a new lawyer. Syla was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the murder of Valmir Breznica at a supermarket in Podujeva.
The presiding judge, Skender Qoqaj, said the court had contacted the injured parties, who had expressed strong interest in attending the hearing.
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The lawyer who previously represented the injured parties had his license revoked by the Kosovo Bar Association (OAK), and no other legal representative has been retained so far. The court also announced that the appeal filed on their behalf had been dismissed as inadmissible because the lawyer who filed it did not have a valid license.
Besnik Berisha, Arsim Syla’s defense lawyer, did not oppose the postponement. He said the injured party should be given the opportunity to exercise its rights.
“They have the right to be heard, however much time they need, because a final decision without ensuring the injured party’s protection cannot be fair or lawful. I welcome this panel’s decision,” Berisha said.
The murder took place on September 11, 2023, at the “Interex” supermarket in Podujeva. Thirty-four-year-old Valmir Breznica was killed there while with his wife and four-year-old son. His wife was also injured by gunfire.
According to the indictment filed by the Basic Prosecution Office in Pristina, Arsim Syla was suspected of urging his underage son, Lordi Syla, to kill Breznica in revenge for an earlier conflict. The prosecution alleges that Arsim Syla directed his son toward the victim and that the minor fired several shots.
Arsim Syla has denied the charges and the allegations that he planned or incited the murder.
On February 26, 2026, the Basic Court in Pristina found him guilty and sentenced him to 22 years in prison. The judgment was delivered by a panel presided over by Judge Fatime Dermaku, with Gent Beka and Sulltane Hoti as members. The time he had spent in pretrial detention was included in the sentence.
Following an appeal against the judgment, the case was referred to the Court of Appeals. The October 28 hearing did not proceed because the injured party lacked legal representation.
The people mentioned in this article are presumed innocent until their guilt is established by a final court judgment.
