The Basic Court in Pristina has handed down convictions against Zoran Kostić and Dragan Milović, who were accused of committing war crimes in Kosovo. Kostić was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Milović received a 7-year sentence.
The verdict was announced Wednesday by presiding judge Lutfi Shala, together with panel members Rrahman Beqiri and Kujtim Krasniqi. The sentences include time already served in pretrial detention.
The accused are also required to pay court costs, including €300 for judicial fees and €100 for the Victims of Crime Compensation Fund. Their pretrial detention will continue. Civil claims related to reparations are to be pursued through regular civil proceedings.
According to the indictment filed on May 16, 2024, Zoran Kostić, as a member of the Serbian police forces during the Kosovo War, participated in coordinated attacks against the Albanian civilian population. Acting under orders from his superiors and alongside other police, army, and paramilitary members, Kostić was directly involved in assaults on the Ujkani family in Reznik, including looting homes, burning properties, and killing unarmed civilians.
The indictment details that on May 22, 1999, Kostić, with others, forced Albanian civilians from their homes and subjected them to beatings, torture, and intimidation while separating men from women and children. Victims included members of the Dallku and Haliti families.
Kostić allegedly committed further acts of violence against civilians, including striking detainees and ordering executions to eliminate evidence of crimes. These actions constitute the war crime of “Crimes against the civilian population” under Article 142 in conjunction with Article 22 of the Penal Code of the former SFRY, and Article 146, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Kosovo Criminal Code (KPRK), as well as breaches of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.
Dragan Milović, also a member of the Serbian police during the conflict, was accused of forcibly relocating approximately 20,000 civilians to city cemeteries in Vushtrri, where they were beaten, tortured, and humiliated. Milović reportedly struck civilians with metal rods, wooden sticks, rifle butts, and fists, and oversaw brutal treatment in detention, including at Smrekonica prison. Many victims later escaped to Albania.
Milović was found guilty of committing war crimes against the civilian population under the same legal provisions, in violation of the Geneva Conventions and customary international law applicable at the time of the Kosovo conflict.
