The Basic Court in Pristina held the initial hearing on Wednesday against Muharrem Ibraj, accused of war crimes in the village of Osek Hylë, Gjakova Municipality. The trial is being conducted in absentia.
After the indictment was read by Prosecutor Ajshe Ferati, Ibraj, through his lawyer Sabrije Jashari, was informed of his right to file objections to the evidence and request dismissal of the indictment within 30 days, reports Betimi për Drejtësi.
The defense waived both the filing of objections and the request for dismissal of the indictment.
The hearing then proceeded to judicial review. The next session is expected to take place in the coming months.
The Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo (SPRK) filed the indictment against Muharrem Ibraj on March 19, 2025, charging him with war crimes against civilians in Osek Hylë. The indictment accuses Ibraj of murdering a civilian, mistreating others, and committing rape against a victim together with her father and brother.
According to the indictment, on February 28, 1998, around 14:30 in Osek Hylë, Ibraj, armed and in a police uniform, together with other members of Serbian police forces, directly participated in the killing and mistreatment of ethnic Albanian civilians who were not involved in the conflict.
The indictment details that Ibraj, along with a large police contingent, surrounded the victim S.B.’s house, entered the home, verbally threatened and insulted those present, and struck the injured Q.C. When the victim S.B. intervened, Ibraj ordered him to leave the room.
While the victim was leaving the house, Ibraj allegedly fired several shots at him with an AK-47 assault rifle in the presence of family members, resulting in S.B.’s death. Other men present were reportedly taken outside, beaten, transported to a police station, physically assaulted, interrogated under the pretext of being members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and then released.
Additionally, on November 10, 1998, in Osek Hylë, Ibraj, together with his father and brother, allegedly forced a female victim (NN) to engage in sexual acts without her consent. The indictment claims the victim was abducted after leaving a bus and taken to a grain mill where she was sexually assaulted sequentially by the father, brother, and Ibraj. She lost consciousness during the assault. Upon regaining consciousness, the victim allegedly witnessed further abuse by the family, including being burned with a lit cigarette as a form of terror and intimidation. She was ultimately threatened not to report the crimes.
For these actions, Muharrem Ibraj is charged with “War Crimes Against the Civilian Population”, under Article 142 in conjunction with Article 22 of the Criminal Code of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which was in force at the time of the crimes.
The SPRK requested that the trial proceed in absentia because Ibraj has been unreachable and is currently in hiding.
