Kosovo charges five over war crimes in 1999 conflict

Pristina, December 28, 2024 – Kosovo’s Special Prosecution has indicted five individuals for war crimes against civilians during the 1999 conflict, accusing them of killings, torture, and forced expulsions in the Gjilan region, east of Pristina.

Prosecutors say the suspects, identified by their initials D.C., D.N., M.Sh., N.S., and S.J., were part of an armed group responsible for the deaths of eight Albanian civilians. Two victims were reportedly burned alive after being placed on a pile of wood, while others suffered torture and mistreatment.

“These crimes are punishable under Kosovo’s laws, wartime conventions, and the Geneva Convention,” the prosecution said in a statement.

The accused were arrested in August, with Serbia's Office for Kosovo identifying four of them as Dragan Cvetković, Dragan Ničić, Miloš Šošić, and Slobodan Jevtić, all from the village of Pasjan in eastern Kosovo.

Historic war crimes ruling

The case follows a landmark ruling earlier this week, where a court in Pristina sentenced a Serb community member to 15 years in prison in absentia for war crimes near the municipality of Shtime. It was the first such conviction in absentia in Kosovo's history.

The 1999 Kosovo war resulted in over 10,000 deaths and more than 5,000 missing. The conflict ended after NATO’s intervention, which brought an end to the atrocities committed by Serbian forces. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move still contested by Serbia.