The first indictment was brought against J.J. and A.S.

According to the announcement, the accused, as former guards at Prishtina Prison and its branch in Lipjan, mistreated Albanian prisoners during 1998-1999, subjecting them to inhuman torture with various means, including rubber batons, metal rods, kicks and punches until they lost consciousness. At the same time, they also seriously threatened them with death.

Meanwhile, the second indictment was brought against four defendants: L.S., D.L., S.A., B.S.

The Special Prosecution said they are accused, in their capacity as guards at Prishtina Prison’s women’s branch in Lipjan, during the 1998-1999 war period, acting in co-perpetration with the already indicted N.C., of systematically mistreating Albanian women prisoners, torturing them in an inhuman manner and causing them bodily injuries as well as psychological violence.

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The decision was made public on Friday, 03.07.2026, by Judge Avni Syla.

According to this judgment, Ekrem Bajrovic is required to pay 300 euros in court flat-rate expenses, as well as 100 euros to the crime victims’ fund.

By a separate ruling, the defendant’s detention has been extended until this judgment becomes final.

The injured parties have been instructed to pursue their property-related legal claim through regular civil proceedings.

Parties who do not agree with this decision have the right to appeal within 30 days.

Ekrem Bajrovic is charged by the Special Prosecution with “war crimes against the civilian population” in Istog and the surrounding villages during 1998-1999.

According to the indictment, during the war in Kosovo in 1998-1999 in Istog and the surrounding areas, Bajrovic contributed to the implementation of repressive measures that included killings, raids, beatings, mistreatment, arrest, torture, and inhuman treatment against the civilian population.

According to the prosecution’s claims, he carried out these acts as a member of the Serbian police and military forces, both individually and in co-perpetration with other persons.

The indictment states that on 08.05.1999, in the village of Staradran, a column of civilians moving toward Albania was stopped by Serbian police and military forces, of which Bajrovic was also a part, and the boys and men were separated from the rest of the group.

According to the indictment, they were first stripped of their money and valuables, and were then taken to the yard of a person’s house, where they were lined up one by one with their hands raised and their faces toward the yard wall, while Serbian forces physically attacked them and beat them with various tools.

Also according to the indictment, during this time the Serbian police and military forces addressed them with the words: “Where is NATO?” and “Where is the KLA?”.

Further, the indictment stresses that they were taken to a house, where at least 16 Albanian civilians were executed. Only one of them managed to survive, although wounded.

Also, according to the indictment, on 07.05.1999 the accused participated in the arrest, kidnapping, and mistreatment of 84 Albanian civilians, who were initially separated from the column and deprived of all their money and valuables.

After this, they were taken to Gurakoc, to a premises, where according to the indictment they were mistreated and tortured in an inhuman manner, and later transferred to the Police Station in Gurakoc.

The indictment says the column was led by the accused Ekrem Bajrovic, of Bosniak nationality, who struck one person with the back of an automatic rifle on the right side below the ribs.

Then, according to the indictment, after the civilians were placed in the Police Station, they were tortured in an inhuman manner and were also subjected to psychological violence through death threats. The indictment further states that, in addition to serious bodily injuries, they suffered trauma and health consequences.

According to the indictment, these actions are punishable under domestic laws, as well as the International Geneva Convention.

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He faces charges of war crimes against the civilian population during the war in Kosovo.

At today’s scheduled hearing, the parties are expected to present their positions, while the court will continue with the examination of evidence and the review of the case.

The Special Prosecution accuses Ekrem Bajroviq of involvement in war crimes during the last war in Kosovo against the civilian population.

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This hearing will take place as part of the ongoing judicial process against the defendant, where the parties are expected to present their positions.

As the review continues, the court will proceed with the presentation of evidence and the handling of the case, in line with the procedural stage the case is currently in.

The Special Prosecution charges Ekrem Bajroviq with involvement in war crimes against the civilian population.

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By order of the Basic Court in Pristina, searches were carried out at 21 locations.

During the execution of the search warrant, the following were seized:

· 15,000 euros;

· 5 cars;

· 5 tanker trucks for transporting fuel derivatives;

· 2 firearms;

· 54 bullets;

· Electronic devices;

· Various documents and other evidence relevant to the case;

· 301 euros in 2-euro banknotes, which are suspected to be counterfeit.

The relevant units of the Police, Customs and the Tax Administration were involved in this operation.

The joint investigation led to the arrest of F.M., F.M., M.M., S.K., N.B., D.M., A.M., N.M. and G.Q., who are suspected of committing the criminal offenses of:

· Money laundering;

· Smuggling of goods in co-perpetration;

· Participation in or organization of an organized criminal group;

· False documents related to tax;

· Tax evasion.

This operation was carried out as part of investigative procedural actions.

After gathering information and securing evidence, a reasonable suspicion has been raised that the arrested persons acted as a structured criminal group by submitting false tax-related documents and carrying out sales as well as fictitious transactions involving petroleum derivatives.

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At today’s hearing, Naim Elshani is testifying before the trial panel.

According to the indictment of the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo, filed on September 15, 2023, Ekrem Bajroviq is charged with having committed war crimes against the civilian population in the Municipality of Istog and the surrounding villages during 1998-1999.

The indictment states that Bajroviq, in his capacity as a member of the Serbian police and military forces, both individually and in co-perpetration with other persons, participated in and contributed to the implementation of repressive measures, including the killing, raiding, beating, mistreatment, arrest, torture, cruel and inhuman treatment, keeping people in conditions of slavery, expulsion and deportation of the civilian population, as well as the looting, burning, and destruction of the homes of civilians of Albanian nationality.

Meanwhile, on July 19, 2024, the Basic Court in Prishtina had sentenced the accused, Ekrem Bajroviq, to 12 years in prison for war crimes committed during 1998-1999 in the Municipality of Istog and the surrounding villages.

However, the case has been returned for retrial by the Supreme Court, which in its decision drafted on December 4, 2025, approved the request for the protection of legality submitted by Bajroviq’s defense, namely lawyers Ljubomir Pantoviq and Milosh Deleviq.

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These issues were raised at the panel discussion titled “Strengthening professional capacities in the prosecution and trial of war crimes in Kosovo,” organized by the Humanitarian Law Center in Kosovo.

According to Amer Alija from the Humanitarian Law Center in Kosovo, processes related to war crimes continue to represent one of the most complex tests for the justice system.

Alija: War crimes trials are one of the most complex challenges for the justice system

“In Kosovo, it remains one of the most important and complex challenges for the justice system. Beyond their legal importance, these processes have a direct impact on ensuring justice for war victims, combating impunity, and strengthening citizens’ trust in justice institutions. In recent years, we have seen important developments in this field, including an increase in the number of indictments for war crimes and the implementation of trials in absentia,” Alija said.

The head of the War Crimes Department at the Special Prosecution Office, Ilir Morina, said there is institutional readiness to handle these cases, but that the difficulties go beyond the institutions’ own will.

He underlined that one of the problems for the prosecution remains the use of old laws from the former Yugoslavia, as well as the lack of international legal cooperation, especially with Serbia.

Morina also said that the lack of a database for collecting evidence is making the process of gathering it more difficult for the Special Prosecution Office.

Morina: There is a lack of a dedicated database for war crimes cases

“It is not a lack of will; there is readiness to work on addressing war crimes, but the challenges are beyond will. We have done the maximum within our capacities and possibilities, whether budgetary or institutional… The current legal framework is not sufficient, a legal framework that is suited to organized crime. We still have this challenge because we are working with old laws, including those of the former Yugoslavia, and the procedure code, which is not sufficiently suitable in war crimes cases. As for the institutional structure, when we took over this issue from EULEX, we had to build internal mechanisms so that we would be ready to face the challenges… a very major challenge is the lack of international legal cooperation, with special emphasis on Serbia, but also with other countries and the former Yugoslav criminal tribunal. All the evidence is in Serbia or outside the territory of Kosovo, as are the defendants. The lack of this cooperation is a major challenge. Now we have an opportunity to file indictments in absentia; trial in absentia is not being used for the first time. It is the best solution and we are trying to apply it. Within this, there is the lack of a dedicated database of war crimes cases; identifying evidence is a major challenge, a lot of information exists but it is scattered. There is no fear that information does not exist, but it needs to be collected and placed in one location to serve the Special Prosecution Office,” Morina said.

Meanwhile, the deputy chairman of the Kosovo Bar Association, Naim Rudari, said that one of the challenges for this institution remains trial in absentia, which most lawyers are not accepting even though it is an official duty.

Rudari: There are challenges with trial in absentia

“We are seeing that it has been strengthened, and the indictments have multiplied, although it is difficult for the prosecution to gather evidence, since many years have passed since the war. It is necessary in order to substantiate each crime. We have people seeking justice, although the prosecution is our opponent in professional terms, in this case both the Bar Association and the prosecution face challenges with the engagement of court-appointed lawyers in trial in absentia. Trial in absentia is a new institution for us; it still requires preparation, training, and the application of this institution with high professionalism… we have tried to convince them that, beyond the obligation, it is assistance to justice. We lack training, especially from international experts in this field; there are difficulties in applying trial in absentia,” Rudari said.

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