The Basic Court in Prishtina has ordered one month of pre-trial detention for nine defendants in the “Case File 23” investigation, who are suspected of war crimes against the civilian population during the Kosovo war.
According to the court’s announcement published on September 29, the decision was issued by its Special Department following a hearing and the approval of a request by the Special Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kosovo. The court said detention was necessary because, if released, the suspects could evade criminal proceedings and become unavailable to the justice authorities.
In reaching its decision, the court considered that the defendants are Serbian citizens, reside in Serbia and hold Serbian passports. According to the court, these circumstances create a concrete risk that they could leave Kosovo in order to avoid the criminal proceedings. The court also cited a risk that the suspects could interfere with evidence or witnesses, potentially obstructing the proper administration of evidence and the establishment of the facts.
The nine defendants are suspected of the criminal offence of 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. The parties have the right to appeal the detention decision before the Court of Appeals through the Basic Court in Prishtina.
