The Pristina Basic Court, specifically its Special Department, has announced that the initial hearing in criminal case PS No. 66/2023 will be held on September 15, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. The hearing will take place in Building D of the Palace of Justice in Hajvali and will be presided over by the head of the trial panel, Violeta Namani-Hajra.

The case concerns the indictment filed by the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo, PPS No. 60/2010, dated December 23, 2024, against the defendants Momir Stojanoviq, Sreten Çamoviq, Nikolla Miqunoviq, Millovan Kovaçeviq, Sergej Peroviq, Verolub Zhivkoviq, Millan Kotur, Radomir Çoliq, Danillo Zeçeviq, Dragutin Josifoviq, Franko Simatoviq, Momçillo Stanojeviq, Vllatko Vukoviq, Ilija Todorov, Stevo Kaponja, Dragan Zhivanoviq, Millosh Gjoshаn, Predrag Stojanoviq, Dimitrije Rashoviq, Millosh Shqepanoviq, Aleksandar Pekoviq, Zhivko Vuksanoviq, Millutin Novakoviq, Sokol Abazi, Novica Stankoviq, Misho Popoviq, Millan Noviqeviq, Nenad Rajiçeviq, Muharrem Ibraj, Millan Slavkoviq, Dragan Isailloviq, Sasha Antiq, Zllatko Odak, Savo Llekiq, Dragan Raciq, Milladin Novakoviq, Dragan Pekoviq, Njegosh Prashçeviq, Zoran Mirkoviq, Dushan Prashçeviq, Ranko Vukadinoviq, Momçillo Stijoviq, Dushan Nedoviq, Gjokica Mihajlloviq, Mirash Gegoviq, Aleksandar Miqunoviq, Llazar Drashkoviq, Mihill Abazi, Momçillo Novakoviq, Marko Abramoviq, Smajl Beqiri, Momçillo Pantiq and Predrag Miqunoviq.

They are accused of the criminal offense of war crimes against the civilian population, as provided for under Article 142, in conjunction with Article 22 of the Criminal Code of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Under current legislation, the offense is criminalized under Articles 144, 145, 146 and 147, in conjunction with Article 31 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo.

At the request of the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo, the court proceedings will be conducted in the absence of the defendants, as they had not been accessible up to the time the indictment was filed.

The court has called on the accused to appear and surrender to the law enforcement authorities of the Republic of Kosovo.

At the same time, anyone with important information about the whereabouts of the accused is invited to forward that information to the Kosovo Police or other competent institutions.

The indictment and the summonses for the hearing have been made available on the court’s website and in the Official Gazette.

The Pristina Basic Court said it would also inform the public about future developments related to this criminal case.

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The Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo filed an indictment on Thursday against 20 individuals for war crimes linked to events in the Gjakova region.

The list of defendants also includes Milan Radoičić.

According to the prosecution, the group is implicated in the killing of 107 unarmed residents. As they cannot physically appear before justice, the Special Prosecution Office has proposed that the trial be conducted in absentia.

Although the indictment contains their full names, the official statement referred to them only by their initials: M.K., R.C., M.D., P.R., S.K., L.O., Zh.S., S.S., L.D., Z.R., D.G., Ç.B., V.B., R.B., R.R., L.R., M.Sh., M.R., S.G. and T.A. They are charged with the criminal offense of “war crimes against the civilian population.”

The prosecution has also disclosed the positions held by some of them during the conflict.

According to the investigation, between 1998 and 1999, M.K. served as head of the Secretariat of Internal Affairs in Gjakova, R.Ç. headed Special Police units, while M.D. commanded the 52nd Rocket Artillery Brigade. Together with Radoičić and the other individuals involved, as part of “a broad military-police operation,” they are accused of participating in the killing of 107 civilians.

The prosecution says that during the operation, the defendants separated women and children from the men. The women were robbed of their gold jewelry, money and valuables, while the men were executed in their homes, in courtyards or near the location known as the “Taliq Bridge.” The homes were also set on fire.

The message conveyed by these charges is unequivocal, security expert Arben Dashevci said. According to him, despite the protection they receive from Serbia, sooner or later they will be forced to answer before Kosovo’s state institutions.

Commenting on the trial in absentia, Dashevci told “Bota sot” that it is clear the defendants do not feel at ease in the face of these charges. He added that efforts to deliver justice and international cooperation to arrest them continue unabated, with the aim of apprehending them wherever they may be.

He further said that Kosovo’s institutions are doing an excellent job pursuing those responsible for the horrific massacres and expressed his conviction that justice will catch up with them sooner or later.

Meanwhile, journalist Gëzim Olluri views this type of legal proceeding as an essential institutional tool for preserving the collective memory. In his view, bringing evidence from the field into the legal sphere gives wartime testimony an official form, creating an indisputable archive for the future.

According to Olluri, bringing the perpetrators to justice and securing convictions alleviates, even if only slightly, the suffering of the victims’ families. He stressed that this is not an ordinary court case, but evidence of Serbia’s genocidal intent, and that such a process goes beyond the bounds of a simple criminal trial.

He added that confronting the past is essential for political stability and that there can be no genuine negotiations with Serbia without accountability for the genocide against Albanians.

It is worth recalling that in April 2025, the Basic Court in Gjakova issued arrest warrants for Radoičić and 19 other Serbian nationals over suspicions of involvement in the killing of civilians whose remains were later found in a mass grave in Batajnica, Serbia.

The reasoning behind those arrest warrants stated that between May 7 and 10, 1999, Serbian armed and police forces, including the defendants, entered homes one by one near the “Taliq Bridge” in Gjakova, separated the men from the women and children, and then executed 106 Albanian civilians.

According to the same document, the same group of individuals, including Radoičić, had arrested more than 300 Albanian civilians during the same period, holding them in makeshift prisons without humane conditions, regular food, hygiene or medical care, before a large number of them were transferred to other prisons in Kosovo. According to the Gjakova court, these individuals were released after June 1999 with the assistance of international organizations.

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At the Basic Court of Prishtina, a preliminary hearing will be held today for the criminal case where 21 defendants face charges for crimes committed during the war against the civilian population.

The Special Department of this court has confirmed that the names appearing in the dock are: Zllatomir Peshiq, Mlladen Cirkoviq, Radomir Markoviq, Dushko Adamoviq, Obrad Stevanoviq, Zhivko Trajkoviq, Goran Radosavleviq, Bogolub Janiçqviq, Sllavisha Ivanoviq, Boshko Vukiqeviq, Sreten Popoviq, Nikolla Petroviq, Kërsman Jellliq, Lubisha Stojimiroviq, Bozhidar Deliq, Radojko Stefanoviq, Dragan Zhivanoviq, Milosh Gjoshan, Lubinko Cvetiq, Bozhidar Filiq and Milovan Kovaçeviq.

The charge brought against them is for the criminal offense “War crimes against the civilian population”.

According to the court’s official announcement, the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo has requested that the proceedings be conducted in the absence of the defendants, since they have not been reachable up to the stage of filing the indictment.

Through a public statement, the Court has called on the accused to surrender voluntarily to the prosecuting authorities of the Republic of Kosovo.

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The Basic Court in Prishtina has temporarily suspended the initial hearing session for the 21 individuals accused in connection with the Reçak Massacre, due to some technical difficulties. This was announced by the Special Department of this court through an official statement.

The judicial process is taking place without the presence of the accused, who are facing charges of war crimes against civilians during the conflict in Kosovo. The list includes the names: Zllatomir Peshiq, Mlladen Cirkoviq, Radomir Markoviq, Dushko Adamoviq, Obrad Stevanoviq, Zhivko Trajkoviq, Goran Radosavleviq, Bogolub Janiçqviq, Sllavisha Ivanoviq, Boshko Vukiqeviq, Sreten Popoviq, Nikolla Petroviq, Kërsman Jellliq, Lubisha Stojimiroviq, Bozhidar Deliq, Radojko Stefanoviq, Dragan Zhivanoviq, Milosh Gjoshan, Lubinko Cvetiq, Bozhidar Filiq and Milovan Kovaçeviq.

These individuals are accused of the criminal offense “War crimes against the civilian population”. According to the notice distributed on the social network Facebook, the technical obstacles led to the interruption of the session, while judicial authorities have not yet provided details on when the process will resume.

The court had decided that the trial be held in absentia, following a proposal from the Special Prosecution of Kosovo. This decision was taken since the defendants were not accessible to the justice authorities at the time of the indictment, and efforts to locate them had failed.

Also, the court had previously made a public call to all defendants, inviting them to appear voluntarily and surrender to the criminal prosecution institutions of Kosovo. Today’s session marks the beginning of one of the most important judicial processes for war crimes undertaken by the domestic justice system.

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Among the panelists at this event were Ilir Morina, head of the War Crimes Department at the Special Prosecution Office, as well as Naim Rudari.

As part of the discussion, the need to increase the professional capacities of justice institutions, advance international legal cooperation, and organize specialized training for defense lawyers in war crimes cases was highlighted.

The debate also covered trials in absentia, aligning domestic practice with European standards, and ensuring due process of law.

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