Nearly three decades after the end of the war in Kosovo, which left around 10,000 civilian victims, only 77 people have been found guilty of war crimes by domestic and international judicial institutions. Meanwhile, the lack of legal cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia, along with Serbia’s refusal to hand over suspects, remain major obstacles to delivering justice.
Massacres, civilian killings, forced expulsions and crimes against the unprotected population make up one of the darkest chapters in Kosovo’s history. For thousands of victims and their families, a full measure of justice is still lacking.
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According to data from the Basic Court in Pristina, its Special Department concluded 17 cases between January 1, 2024, and September 1, 2026. Guilty verdicts were issued in 13 of these cases, while 19 others are still awaiting resolution.
Despite these figures, the main challenge remains fully uncovering the crimes, determining the fate of the victims and holding accountable those suspected of committing them.
The increase in the number of cases prosecuted in recent years is also linked to amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, which have made trials in absentia possible. Under this provision, proceedings can continue against defendants who are not in Kosovo.
Amer Alija of the Humanitarian Law Center says this legal option has led to more war crimes indictments and enabled courts to handle more cases.
“Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code have led to indictments being filed for trials in absentia, and over the past two or three years we have seen a large number of such indictments for war crimes. This legal change has resulted in more cases being prosecuted before the Basic Court in Pristina. Also, approximately 10 defendants or suspects in war crimes in Kosovo are arrested each year,” Alija says.
According to Alija, the lack of legal cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia remains one of the biggest challenges in investigating crimes and prosecuting those responsible. Serbia continues to refuse to hand over people suspected of war crimes to face justice.
Alija says that, although domestic and international institutions have been involved since the end of the war, the number of convictions remains very low compared with the number of civilian victims.
“From the end of the war until today, around 77 perpetrators of war crimes have been convicted by all judicial institutions, whether in The Hague or in Kosovo, or by UNMIK or EULEX. On the other hand, there are around 10,000 civilian victims, so very little has been done in this regard to deliver justice to the families of those killed in the war,” Alija says.
Even nearly three decades after the end of the war, thousands of families in Kosovo are still waiting for justice for the crimes committed and for those responsible to be held accountable.
