The Special Prosecution of Kosovo has filed an indictment against 20 individuals, requesting that they be tried in absentia, for alleged war crimes against the civilian population committed in the Municipality of Gjakova during the 1998–1999 Kosovo war.
The defendants — identified by the initials M.K., R.Č., M.D., P.R., S.K., L.O., Ž.S., S.S., L.D., Z.R., D.G., Č.B., V.B., R.B., R.R., L.R., M.Sh., M.R., S.G., and T.A. — are charged with the criminal offense of war crimes against the civilian population.
According to the indictment, during 1998–1999, M.K., then head of the Secretariat of Internal Affairs (SUP) in Gjakova, R.Č., commander of the Special Police Units (PJP), and M.D., commander of the 52nd Rocket Artillery Brigade, together with the other defendants, allegedly participated in a large-scale military and police operation that resulted in the killing of 107 civilians.
The prosecution alleges that during the operation, women and children were separated from the men. The women were robbed of their gold jewelry, money, and other valuables, while the men were executed—some inside their homes and courtyards, and others at the location known as “Taliq Bridge.” The indictment further states that homes were also set on fire during the operation.
