In Serbia, those convicted of war crimes have mostly been lower-ranking officers rather than individuals who held the greatest responsibility, said Bekim Blakaj, director of the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo.
Blakaj made the statement as part of an analysis of war crimes proceedings related to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.
According to Serbian authorities’ data cited by Radio Free Europe, 270 indictments have been filed since the establishment of war crimes departments in 2003. Of those cases, 112 people have been convicted, while 29 have been acquitted.
Meanwhile, a 2024 report by the Humanitarian Law Center estimates that the number of cases in Serbia against Serbs for crimes committed against Kosovo Albanians is disproportionate to the scale and extent of the crimes.
In Kosovo, trials in absentia have also been possible since legal changes introduced in 2022. According to the Humanitarian Law Center, by February 2025, 15 indictments in absentia had been filed against 73 members of Serbian forces.
