Kosovar citizen Nezir Mehmetaj has been sentenced to six years in prison by Serbian judicial authorities on charges of war crimes.
The sentence takes into account the time he has spent in pretrial detention, and this first-instance ruling by the Serbian court is subject to appeal, reports Radio Free Europe (RFE).
He was arrested on January 3, 2020, at the Merdare border crossing and has been held in pretrial detention since. In the same year, Serbian judicial authorities filed an indictment against him for war crimes.
According to the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution in Belgrade, Mehmetaj is accused of committing war crimes against civilians during the period of June-July 1999. These crimes are alleged to have taken place in the village of Rudicë, in the municipality of Klinë.
Kosovo authorities have consistently called for the release of Mehmetaj and other Kosovo citizens who have been arrested by Serbia on charges of war crimes.
In July 2024, the Kosovo Ministry of Justice requested that Serbia extradite the Kosovar nationals held there. However, the head of this ministry, Albulena Haxhiu, stated that it is difficult for Serbia to respond positively to this request due to continued lack of legal cooperation.
In addition to Mehmetaj, other individuals under war crime accusations, such as Hasan Dakaj and Tefik Mustafa, remain in pretrial detention in Serbia. Meanwhile, Sadiku Duraku, who was arrested on April 17 on suspicion of war crimes, was released in October of this year.
The U.S. Department of State has called for a fair legal process for individuals arrested in Serbia on war crime charges.
