Zubin Potok: details emerge about the massacre of 23 Albanians and the names of the suspects

Nine people have been arrested on suspicion of taking part in crimes committed against Albanian civilians in April 1999. According to the prosecution file, the victims were detained, robbed, mistreated and then executed, while after the killings there was an attempt to burn and conceal the bodies. Twenty of the 23 victims continue to be listed as missing.

The Special Prosecution has published details from the investigation into the case known as the “Group of Intellectuals”, around 27 years after the crimes committed during the war in Kosovo. Twenty-three Albanian civilians are suspected of having been killed in the incident, while most of their bodies have still not been found.

According to the investigative materials, the civilians were initially taken by force, robbed and treated in an inhumane manner before being killed. The prosecution also suspects that those responsible later returned to the crime scene to eliminate traces.

The individuals for whom pretrial detention has been requested are Dragan Gjuriq, Millosh Raskoviq, Miroslav Radojeviq, Radisav Raskoviq, Sasha Gjukiq, Svetislav Gjukiq, Vukoje Lepoviq, Rangel Raskoviq, known by the nickname “Lane”, and Dalibor Gjuriq.

The file concerning the events of April 19, 1999, also mentions Milomir Radojeviq, Vladan Tomaseviq and Jovica Utviq.

The prosecution alleges that these individuals, together with others, acted as armed members of the Territorial Defense in the Zubin Potok area.

The inclusion of a name in the investigative file does not mean that the person has been arrested or that criminal responsibility has been established against them.

The killings in Melaja

On April 19, 1999, at a place called Melaja, in the village of Kalludër e Vogël, 23 Albanian civilians were detained and, according to the prosecution file, executed.

The victims identified in the investigative material are:

Adem Ademi

Demir Ahmeti

Idriz Rreci

Adem Beqiri

Hasan Dervari

Sahit Barani

Fatmir Fazliu

Ali Haliti

Bekim Meziu

Naser Meziu

Sali Meziu

Samir Meziu

Selim Meziu

Shaqir Meziu

Tahir Meziu

Gjemajl Meziu

Gjevdet Meziu

Zymer Meziu

Faton Ujkani

Mahit Ujkani

Nazmi Ujkani

Shaip Ujkani

Shkelzen Ujkani

Only three of the 23 victims have been identified through DNA analysis. The other 20 continue to be considered missing.

Their families have continued to wait for more than two decades for information about the fate of their relatives and for their remains to be found.

Bodies exhumed and damaged

After the executions, the victims are suspected of having been buried at the bottom of a meadow near the river, in the Melaja area.

But according to the prosecution, the actions against the bodies did not end with the burial. On April 20, 1999, at around 10:00 a.m., the suspects allegedly returned to the scene and removed the bodies of 13 victims.

The bodies were doused with gasoline in an attempt to burn them. When the fuel ran out, according to the file, axes, hammers, pickaxes and other heavy tools were used to damage the corpses.

The bodies were then buried near the river, around 200 meters from the point where the killings had taken place. The prosecution suspects that the purpose of these actions was to eliminate traces of the crime.

Four other civilians are suspected of having been killed on April 18

The investigation also includes an incident that took place on April 18, 1999, when four Albanian civilians were allegedly shot dead.

The victims were Sahit Feka, Sadete Feka, Deli Isufi and Rabije Isufi.

According to the prosecution, their bodies were buried in the village of Jabukë in Zubin Potok after the killings.

The same section of the file also addresses the attack on Muharrem Feka, who survived the incident.

Muharrem Feka’s testimony

The investigative material describes how Muharrem Feka was initially separated from the group and physically assaulted. He was then ordered to keep his hands behind his head and walk toward the mountain.

Firearms were used against him along the way. The bullets wounded him in the head and chest.

Feka fell and lost consciousness. When he woke up, he realized that the other people and the police had left the scene.

Although wounded, he managed to cross the mountain and reach the village of Gërmovë. There, he received first aid from a neighbor who worked as a medical technician.

Operation “File 23”

On September 27, 2026, the Kosovo Police and the Special Prosecution conducted the operation codenamed “File 23” in the municipality of Zubin Potok. Nine people suspected of war crimes against the civilian population were arrested as part of the operation.

The case has once again drawn attention to the issue of people who went missing during the war in Kosovo and efforts to bring those responsible for crimes against civilians to justice.

The identification of three victims through DNA constitutes an important step in the investigation, while the families of the other 20 victims continue to wait for the fate of their relatives to be clarified.

The criminal responsibility of the suspects will be determined through investigations and judicial proceedings, which will assess the evidence collected in this case.