Serbian crimes in the Jasharaj neighborhood, Gashi: Identifying the units was the main challenge

Valdet Gashi, a prosecutor with the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office, has provided details from the indictment in absentia against 35 defendants for war crimes in Lower Prekaz. He said the most difficult issue during the investigation was determining which Serbian units were involved in these actions.

According to Gashi, the Serbian Public Security Department, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Serbian State Security Department and, within the latter, Serbia’s Special Unit took part in the operations during which the crimes in Lower Prekaz were committed.

He said other units were also involved in the operation, including the Special Police Unit, the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit and departments within Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Gashi stated that the Special Operations Unit was led by Milorad…

Meanwhile, “Legija” was tasked, at his special request, with directly attacking the home of Shaban Jasharaj’s family.

The prosecutor emphasized that the individuals named in the indictment held managerial positions in the units in which they served.

“The most important point is identifying these units, and this was precisely the biggest problem,” Gashi said.

He clarified that the indictment against the 35 defendants is not limited to crimes committed against Shaban Jasharaj’s immediate family. According to him, the case covers the victims and attacks throughout the Jasharaj neighborhood in the village of Lower Prekaz.

Based on the evidence collected, the number of victims is 26, Gashi said.

The prosecutor also stated that, according to the information available so far, all 35 defendants charged with war crimes in Lower Prekaz are alive.

“If, after the names are published, information emerges that an individual is not alive, then, of course, under the law, we can remove them from the indictment. However, based on the information we have, all of these individuals are alive,” he said.

The indictment was filed in absentia after the Special Prosecution Office determined that all options for securing the defendants and bringing them into criminal proceedings had been exhausted.