At the Basic Court in Prishtina, for the second consecutive day this Tuesday, the hearing against two accused war criminals, Momir Pantiq and Zharko Zariq, has been canceled. Today’s session was postponed due to health reasons concerning the accused Pantiq.
The office of the presiding judge, Donikë Shala-Avdyli, confirmed that the High Security Prison in Dyz reported that Pantiq’s health condition remains unchanged, preventing his attendance in court today, according to Betimi për Drejtësi.
The hearing scheduled for March 16, 2026, was also canceled for the same reasons.
According to the indictment filed on September 1, 2024, by the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo (SPRK), the former police chief of Istog station, Momir Pantiq, and former officer Zharko Zariq are charged with jointly committing the criminal offense of “War Crime Against the Civilian Population.”
The indictment, obtained by Betimi për Drejtësi, states that on May 19, 1999, in the village of Dubravë, specifically in Dubravë prison after NATO bombings that left three Albanian prisoners dead, Pantiq, as police station chief, together with Serbian police forces, entered the prisoners’ cells after the bombings stopped and systematically exercised cruel and inhumane violence against the prisoners solely because they were Albanian.
The indictment further states that NATO bombings continued on May 21, resulting in 18 Albanian prisoners killed and dozens injured. The following morning, guards, armed Serbs, police forces, and Special Units under the command of the Istog Police Station assembled the Albanian prisoners in the sports field and opened fire on them with various firearms, while also throwing explosives from behind the prison walls.
Additionally, according to the indictment, Serbian police forces under Pantiq’s leadership kidnapped a civilian identified as “A1,” who was sexually abused. Another victim, “B1,” also suffered sexual assault. The two accused are further charged with the murder of several families in the Istog Municipality.
