The Special Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kosovo has filed an indictment against 21 individuals in absentia for the criminal offense of “War crimes against the civilian population.” The director of the Humanitarian Law Fund (FDH), Bekim Blakaj, has called the indictment significant, noting that it includes crimes of deportation that took place “all over Kosovo” during the war.
Extensive Investigation and International Evidence
Blakaj stated that the preparation of the indictment took more than five years. He expressed hope that the prosecution has secured evidence from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), noting that the tribunal’s cases against high-ranking Serbian officials had “extraordinarily well-proven” the crime of mass deportation. He specified that the ICTY’s findings focused on mass deportations in nine municipalities, including Mitrovica, Vushtrri, and Peja. Blakaj added that the ICTY demonstrated that the mass deportations of Albanians were “well-organized and well-planned.”
