In a major procedural development at the Basic Court of Prishtina, the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo (PSRK) formally requested on Monday that the ongoing retrial of Čedomir Aksić be legally merged into a sweeping, multi-defendant indictment charging him alongside 20 others for the notorious January 1999 Reçak Massacre.
The motion was introduced by Special Prosecutor Habibe Salihu during Monday’s court session, following an explicit procedural cue from the Court of Appeals. The proposal marks a critical step toward consolidating Kosovo’s high-profile, in-absentia war crimes trials to ensure comprehensive judicial protection for a vast network of surviving victims and witnesses.
1. The Prosecution’s Case: Preventing Fragmentation
Prosecutor Salihu revealed that after analyzing a recent appellate decree, she was officially alerted to the overlapping nature of the criminal allegations against Aksić. Her motion to join the indictments is designed to streamline the administration of justice and prevent judicial fragmentation.
The Mechanics of the Proposed Judicial Merger
[ THE INDEPENDENT RETRIAL ] ──► CURRENT BASELINE
• Čedomir Aksić is currently undergoing a standalone retrial for "War Crimes Against
the Civilian Population" after the second-instance court struck down a previous verdict.
[ THE MASSACRE INDICTMENT ] ──► THE TARGET CASE
• A separate, mega-indictment was raised on December 30, 2025, targeting 21 individuals—
including Aksić—specifically for the slaughter of 42 civilians in Reçak.
[ THE RISK OF FRACTION ] ──► PROTECTION OF VICTIMS
• The prosecution warned that keeping the files separate would legally sideline a large,
vulnerable group of injured parties, leaving them without direct recourse in this trial.
2. Inside the December 2025 Reçak Indictment
The landmark case into which the prosecution wants to absorb Aksić represents one of the most comprehensive in-absentia war crimes filings in Kosovo’s history, covering the dark events of January 15, 1999.
Scope of the "Reçak 21" Indictment
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ [ THE MASSACRE CASUALTIES ] ──────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ • The official indictment documents the brutal executions of 42 │ │
│ unarmed ethnic Albanian civilians by Serbian state security forces. │
│ │ │
│ [ CRIMINAL CLASSIFICATIONS ] ─────────────────────────────────────┤ │
│ • Charges encompass cruel and unusual treatment, torture, forced │ │
│ deportations, and the systematic, state-sanctioned destruction of civil │
│ property. │
│ │ │
│ [ THE FALLBACK PLAN ] ────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ • If the court rejects the merger, Prosecutor Salihu announced she will │
│ immediately execute a unilateral expansion of Aksić's current case │
│ to manually incorporate the missing victims. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
“Today, I secured an appellate decision which suggests that this case should be joined. We must allow this proposal because if these victims cannot be integrated into the broader case, a massive group of injured parties will be severely damaged.”
— Habibe Salihu, Special Prosecutor
3. Defense Posture and the Court’s Intermission
Aksić’s defense attorney, Ymer Berisha, opened his remarks by confirming that he has no objections to the general framework of the appellate court’s ruling that triggered the retrial.
Berisha emphasized that the primary focus of the defense is to ensure the court completely eliminates any lingering procedural violations, thereby fulfilling all statutory baselines required to guarantee a fair, transparent, and legally sound trial.
| Judicial Actor | Standpoint / Procedural Position | Next Operational Step |
| Special Prosecution (PSRK) | Demands an immediate merger of the two indictments to preserve the legal standing of all Reçak victims. | Awaiting the panel’s decision; preparing a backup amendment to expand the active charges if denied. |
| Defense (Ymer Berisha) | Supports the appellate retrial mandate but demands absolute adherence to fair trial standards to avoid procedural errors. | Reviewing prosecution files to prepare counter-arguments once the merger status is determined. |
| Trial Panel (Violeta Namani-Hajra) | Positioned as an independent arbiter; halted Monday’s session to evaluate the complex consolidation request. | Will deliberate on the merger motion outside the courtroom and issue a formal written binding decision to all parties. |
Presiding Judge Violeta Namani-Hajra officially adjourned the session, stating that the court would thoroughly analyze the legal ramifications of the merger before issuing a definitive ruling out of session. With the justice system increasingly focusing on the historical legacy of 1999, the court’s upcoming decision will dictate whether Aksić faces his accusers as an isolated defendant or as part of the wider, collective prosecution over the tragedy of Reçak.
