The Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo has requested the maximum sentence for Milorad Gjoković, who is on trial for alleged war crimes committed during the 1998–1999 Kosovo war, arguing that the evidence presented proves his guilt beyond any reasonable doubt.
During closing arguments before the Basic Court in Prishtina, Special Prosecutor Ilir Morina stated that Gjoković, known by the nickname “Mici,” participated alongside Serbian police and paramilitary forces in the killings of Albanian civilians in the village of Ozdrim and surrounding areas on May 7, 1999.
“This case is not about strangers. It is about neighbors. The defendant and the victims knew each other, they knew each other’s homes. But on May 7, some who had once been neighbors became part of an armed force that brought death, suffering and destruction,” Morina told the court.
The prosecutor said witness testimonies and material evidence establish a consistent chain of proof linking Gjoković to the murder of Esat Morina and other crimes committed against Albanian civilians.
Morina also presented an official document identifying Gjoković as a member of the Serbian police reserve forces in the Peja region, along with multiple witness statements placing him at the crime scenes and identifying him as an active participant in the operations.
“The victims and their families are not seeking revenge—they are seeking justice,” Morina said, urging the court to convict Gjoković and impose the harshest sentence allowed by law.
Victim and witness Ferat Morina told the court that he trusted the judiciary to decide the defendant’s fate while also requesting compensation for the suffering he endured, including the murder of his brother and his own unlawful detention.
According to the indictment, Gjoković is accused of participating in murders, torture, arbitrary arrests, beatings, inhumane treatment, forced displacement, deportation, looting, arson, and the destruction of Albanian civilian property in and around Ozdrim, Peja, during 1998–1999 as a member of Serbian police and military forces.
The indictment further alleges that Serbian forces killed several Albanian civilians during the offensive, executed wounded victims after they had been taken to the hospital, and that several others remain missing to this day after being forcibly disappeared.
