The Basic Court in Prishtina has found Millorad Đoković guilty of war crimes against the civilian population and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, Ekonomia Online reported.
The verdict was announced by presiding judge Donika Shala-Abdyli.
“In the name of the people, the defendant Milorad Đoković is found guilty because, during the Kosovo war, on May 7, 1999, in the village of Ozdrim, Peja Municipality, the defendant, acting as a reserve police officer alongside other individuals, violated the rules of international law,” the judge said.
The court sentenced Đoković under the provisions of the former Yugoslavia’s Criminal Code. The time he has spent in pre-trial detention will be credited toward his sentence.
Trial Reopened to Obtain Witness Statement
On July 27, the trial panel reopened the proceedings after a statement by witness Nurije Krasniqi could not be located at the Institute for Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo. Krasniqi had said she gave the statement to police after the war.
At the time, Judge Shala-Abdyli said the court had concluded that all possibilities for obtaining the evidence had not yet been exhausted.
During her testimony, Krasniqi confirmed that she had given police a statement concerning the case after the war but could not remember the exact date.
Prosecution Alleged Crimes Against Albanian Civilians
According to the indictment, filed by the prosecution on June 23, 2023, Đoković was accused of committing crimes against Albanian civilians in Ozdrim, the Peja region, and surrounding villages during 1998 and 1999 while serving as a member of Serbian police and military forces.
The alleged crimes included killings, raids, beatings, mistreatment, arrests, torture, cruel and inhumane treatment, enslavement, and the expulsion and deportation of dozens of civilians. The indictment also accused him of participating in the looting, burning and destruction of Albanian civilian homes.
Prosecutors alleged that regular Serbian military forces entered Ozdrim from the north via the Peja–Mitrovica regional road, while paramilitary groups, including members of special military units, entered from the west, near Vitomirica.
According to the indictment, the forces began firing at civilians, killing six ethnic Albanian civilians identified by the initials I.K., Sh.K., E.M., R.Sh., Z.Sh. and M.H.
Three other civilians — A.G., H.G. and M.G. — were allegedly wounded by gunfire and initially taken to Peja Hospital. Prosecutors said they were subsequently executed and buried in the village of Lutogllavë.
The indictment further states that five Albanian civilians — R.K., Z.K., A.K., A.K. and A.Sh. — were killed during the offensive. Their bodies have not been found, and they remain listed as missing persons.
The sentence marks a judicial decision in a case concerning alleged crimes against civilians during the 1998–1999 Kosovo war.
