The first hearing has begun in absentia against 21 defendants accused of war crimes against the civilian population in connection with the Reçak massacre, in which 42 Albanian civilians were killed on January 15, 1999.
The initial hearing was opened at the Basic Court in Prishtina after the first scheduled session failed because some defense lawyers had not received the case files and several attorneys were absent.
The Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo filed the indictment on December 30, 2025, requesting a trial in absentia against 21 individuals accused of war crimes against civilians. The indictment alleges that the defendants were responsible for killings, inhumane treatment, forced displacement, destruction of civilian property, and ethnic cleansing during the operation in Reçak, Shtime Municipality.
According to the indictment, the alleged crimes were committed during the 1998–1999 Kosovo war by members of the former Yugoslav Army’s 243rd Mechanized Brigade of the Third Army, known as the “Prishtina Corps,” as well as members of Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), including Special Police Units (PJP), Special Anti-Terrorist Units (SAJ), State Security units (RDB), Public Security units (RJB), and reserve police forces.
The prosecution claims that the defendants acted individually, jointly, and under command responsibility, violating international humanitarian law by targeting civilians who were not involved in the conflict.
The accused include former Serbian police and military officials, among them Obrad Stevanović, Radomir Marković, Krsman Jelić, Goran Radosavljević, Živko Trajković, Bogoljub Janićević, Milan Lečić, Radomir Mitić, Dragan Đorđević, Branko Mladenović, Dragan Jasović, Momčilo Sparavalo, Darko Amanović, Srboljub Vujnović, Božidar Marinković, Zoran Stanojević, Milan Josanović, Goran Petković, Dragoslav Nikolić, Čedomir Aksić, and Zvonimir Janićijević.
The indictment states that the defendants held various command and operational roles within Serbian military and police structures during the operation in Reçak.
The Reçak massacre, which took place on January 15, 1999, became one of the most widely reported events of the Kosovo war and contributed to increased international pressure on the government of Slobodan Milošević. The killings were among the events that preceded the NATO intervention against the former Yugoslavia later that year.
None of the 21 defendants are currently available to Kosovo’s judicial authorities, which is why the proceedings are being conducted in absentia.
