Bajrush Xhemajli and Kamber Buqolli testified as witnesses/victims on Wednesday in the war crimes trial of Gavrilo Milosavleviq.
They shared their experiences from their time in Dubrava prison.
In this case, Gavrilo Milosavleviq, who worked as a guard at the Dubrava prison, is accused of committing war crimes against the civilian population, as reported by Betimi për Drejtësi.
Xhemajli, a former mayor of Ferizaj and former deputy, recounted an incident in April 1999 at Dubrava prison, where, as a detainee, he witnessed the abuse of prisoners by guards and police officers wearing various uniforms.
He also described how the prisoners were taken out of their cells and lined up, supposedly to be transferred to the prison in Niš. However, according to him, they were shot at with a barrage of different weapons.
“We heard the gunfire from various weapons. Later, I realized there were sniper rifles, grenade launchers, maybe even a machine gun, but it was a full-on barrage,” Xhemajli added.
He stated that he had recognized the accused Milosavleviq, as he had been in the prison for four years and knew him by the nickname “Gagi.”
Xhemajli also described an event after the bombings when they were taken to the sports hall of Dubrava prison. He said he saw Milosavleviq there, who was armed like the other guards.
“We were the last to arrive and sat down. They told us to sit on our knees. The guards and police officers, some in uniform and some in masks, told us to wait and see what would happen. I saw Gagi near the door,” Xhemajli recalled.
In the afternoon session, Kamber Buqolli, another former detainee at Dubrava, also testified.
Buqolli described the abuse he suffered during the bombing period and recalled the event in the sports hall, where the wounded were gathered.
He also noted that armed and uniformed individuals were present during the incident in April 1999.
Buqolli explained how a guard ordered them to line up, supposedly for a headcount, but they were shot at with all types of weapons, resulting in many deaths.
“About 200 people died there. I fell, I don’t even know how. Two dead bodies were on top of me, and I had one person’s brains on my neck,” Buqolli said.
According to the indictment filed on November 29, 2023, Gavrilo Milosavleviq, as an official at Dubrava prison, along with others, implemented repressive measures such as killing, beatings, abuse, torture, and inhumane and degrading treatment against Albanian civilian detainees.
The indictment further states that Milosavleviq, in collaboration with Serbian police units, participated in the mass killing of prisoners. On the day of the incident, they ordered approximately 1,000 prisoners to gather in a place known as “The Sports Field,” under the pretense of counting them and transferring them to a safer location to protect them from NATO bombings.
The indictment continues by stating that immediately after the prisoners were lined up, Serbian soldiers opened fire on them with machine guns, mortars, and other weapons. This killing operation, which began on May 22, 1999, and lasted until May 24, 1999, resulted in 109 deaths.
The indictment also mentions that Milosavleviq, along with other Serbian military officials, visited sections B and C of Dubrava prison nearly every day, brutally and inhumanely beating Albanian civilian detainees.
The indictment also details how some guards went to the cell where Ukshin Hoti, Gani Baliu, Skender Gashi, Mehmet Memqaj, and Shkelqim Zllanoga were held. They first turned off the lights and then mocked Ukshin Hoti, saying, “Professor, your misfortune is happening because of NATO’s bombings,” while continuously insulting him. At one point, the guards allegedly grabbed Shkelqim Zllanoga by the neck, nearly suffocating him.
For these actions, Milosavleviq is charged with committing the war crime of “War crimes against the civilian population,” as defined by Article 142 in connection with Article 22 of the Penal Code of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), which was in effect at the time of the crimes.
