The Basic Court in Prishtina has scheduled an initial hearing for December 21, 2026, in the war crimes case against Milan Radoičić and 19 other defendants accused of participating in the killing of 107 civilians in the municipality of Gjakova during the 1998–1999 Kosovo war.
According to the court, the proceedings will be held in absentia at the request of Kosovo’s Special Prosecution Office because the defendants were unreachable when the indictment was filed.
The initial hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and will be presided over by Judge Leon Përlaska.
The court has called on all 20 defendants to appear before Kosovo’s judicial authorities and surrender to law enforcement. It has also urged anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact the Kosovo Police or other competent authorities.
Twenty defendants charged with war crimes
The defendants named in the case are Milovan Kovačević, Radomir Čolić, Miloš Došan, Predrag Ristić, Srđan Krstić, Ljubiša Obradović, Živko Sarić, Spaso Sarić, Lazar Drašković, Zvonko Ristić, Darko Gligorijević, Čedomir Božović, Vladimir Božović, Robert Dobruna, Radomir Raković, Ljubiša Raković, Miloš Šćepanović, Milan Radoičić, Svetislav Gligorijević and Tomica Avramović.
Kosovo’s Special Prosecution Office filed the indictment on August 6, 2026, requesting that the trial proceed in the defendants’ absence. The charges concern alleged war crimes against the civilian population in Gjakova during a large-scale military and police operation.
The Basic Court in Prishtina had previously issued arrest warrants for Radoičić and the 19 other defendants on March 27, 2025, on suspicion of war crimes against civilians.
Prosecutors allege killings, looting and destruction of homes
According to the indictment, the alleged crimes took place during operations in 1998 and 1999 involving members of Serbian police and military units.
Prosecutors allege that the operation involved the participation of senior officials, including the head of the Secretariat of Internal Affairs in Gjakova, a commander of special police units and the commander of the 52nd Rocket Artillery Brigade, alongside other members of the units involved.
The indictment alleges that women and children were initially separated from men during the operation.
According to the prosecution, women were robbed of gold jewelry, money and other valuables, while men were killed in their homes and courtyards or at a location known as the Taliq Bridge. The indictment also alleges that houses were burned.
These allegations have yet to be tested in court, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty under the applicable law.
Radoičić also accused in Banjska attack
Radoičić is also accused in connection with the September 2023 armed attack in Banjska, northern Kosovo, in which Kosovo Police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed. Kosovo authorities have identified Radoičić as the organizer of the group involved in that attack.
The upcoming proceedings in the Gjakova case represent a separate set of charges relating to alleged crimes committed during the 1998–1999 war.
