The Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo on June 1 has filed an indictment, with a proposal for trial in absentia, against five Serbian individuals accused of war crimes against the civilian population. The indictment describes the brutal killing of five civilians—members of the same Albanian family.
According to the indictment obtained by “Betimi për Drejtësi”, the accused in this case are: Predrag Nikolić, Zoran Deletović, Ivan Ivanov, Siniša Milanović, and Jovica Denić.
The indictment states that on May 6, 1999, during the war in Kosovo, the accused, acting in their capacity as police officers, committed acts punishable under domestic law, the customs of war, and the Geneva Conventions. They are charged with the criminal offense of War Crimes Against the Civilian Population, under Article 142 in connection with Article 22 of the Penal Law of Yugoslavia.
The crimes were allegedly committed while the defendants were serving as police officers at the Police Station in Fushë Kosovë, during a night shift.
According to the indictment, on May 6, 1999, while traveling in a police vehicle on the Prishtina–Fushë Kosovë road around 6 a.m., they spotted the victims F.B., M.B., L.B., M.B., and S.B., all civilians and members of the same family.
It is stated that Nikolić instructed Deletović to stop the vehicle under the pretext of identifying the individuals, taking their documents, and placing them in the police vehicle, allegedly to transport them to the train station.
They then continued toward Sllatinë, passing a police and military checkpoint without stopping.
Upon reaching a location known as “Megja,” the accused allegedly stopped the vehicle, ordered the victims to exit, and Deletović requested Ivanov’s automatic rifle.
At the same time, Nikolić allegedly ordered the victims to lie face down and began shooting at them with a CZ99 pistol. Deletović also opened fire using a Crvena Zastava automatic weapon.
Milanović and Denić were reportedly present throughout the incident, assisting and facilitating the actions of the other accused. After the killings, all defendants left the scene and continued toward Lipjan.
The indictment further states that on the way, Nikolić handed Ivanov the victims’ documents with instructions to burn them, after which they returned to the police station in Fushë Kosovë.
The prosecution notes that, under the principle of the more favorable law, the applicable legislation is the one in force at the time the crime was committed. Therefore, the defendants are charged under Article 142 in connection with Article 22 of the Penal Law of Yugoslavia, while the offense remains punishable under Articles 144–147 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo.
The Special Prosecution has proposed that the trial be held in absentia, stating that all efforts to secure the presence of the defendants were exhausted and that they are not currently within the territory of Kosovo.
