The trial of Millosh Plesković, a Serbian national accused of war crimes in Prizren, continued on Tuesday at the Basic Court in Prishtina. Plesković is charged with participating in the killing of three Albanian civilians and injuring several others during the 1998-1999 conflict, in collaboration with an armed group of Serbs in Prizren.
Witness Parim Elshani testified in court about the moment when they went to the mountains to recover the bodies. He shared that he had participated in transporting the bodies from the mountains to the hospital and then to the cemetery for burial. Elshani described the condition of the bodies, noting that parts of the victims’ bodies were missing. “When we arrived, there were two bodies lying down, and my friend, F., was lying on top of one of them. One had its head severed, and the other had a leg cut off,” Elshani recounted.
During the session, another witness, Shaban Shala, testified about his decision to go to the area where he had heard gunshots and where the victims’ bodies were found. “The father of these two brothers was very resilient; he gave us strength. He shed tears, and at that moment, I decided to go to the place where I had heard the shots,” Shala explained. He identified the bodies, initially recognizing one by the palm of a hand.
Witness Sherif Xhaferi also testified about the moment he saw the bodies. He described seeing three victims who had been killed, and how he informed another brother of the victims, who has since passed away.
Regarding the condition of the bodies, Xhaferi stated that he had only seen them the first time without touching them, but when they returned to retrieve the bodies, they were in very poor condition.
According to the indictment filed by the Special Prosecution on June 7, 2024, Plesković is charged with violating international law by committing the murders of the victims. The indictment alleges that Plesković, along with a group of 7-8 armed Serbs, ambushed the victims, including R.D., B.D., F.B., and others, on September 1, 1998, while they were on their way to the mountains. The armed group allegedly insulted the victims in Serbian before Plesković opened fire with a “Kalashnikov” rifle, killing R.D., B.D., and F.B. while others managed to escape.
The indictment further states that the families of the deceased were allowed to recover the bodies a week after the killings. The bodies of R.D. and B.D. were found stacked on top of each other, with one missing a leg, while F.B. had been decapitated.
As a result of these actions, Plesković faces charges for “War Crimes Against the Civilian Population,” as defined under Article 142 in conjunction with Article 22 of the Penal Code of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the law in effect at the time the crimes were committed.
