Kosovar authorities have arrested a former member of Serbian forces suspected of committing war crimes against civilians during the 1998–1999 conflict. The Special Prosecutor’s Office identified the suspect only by initials, Z.S., noting that he was apprehended by investigators from the Kosovo Police War Crimes Investigation Directorate.
“Z.S., as part of a Serbian paramilitary group, is suspected of committing war crimes in the village of Matiçan, Pristina Municipality during 1998–1999,” the office said. A request for pretrial detention has been submitted to the court.
The arrest follows recent convictions of two former Serbian police and military personnel for war crimes in Kosovo. Last week, the Pristina court sentenced Zoran Kostić to 15 years and Dragan Milović to 7 years in prison.
During the Kosovo War, more than 13,000 civilians—mostly ethnic Albanians—were killed, and thousands remain missing. Over 1,500 people are still unaccounted for.
Since the end of the war, Kosovo authorities have arrested multiple suspects and filed numerous indictments, while dozens of perpetrators have been convicted in domestic and international courts. Investigations were initially conducted by the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) from 2000 to 2008, and subsequently by the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX). In 2018, EULEX transferred the cases to local justice authorities.
