The Basic Court in Prishtina resumed the trial on Wednesday against Millorad Gjoković, accused of committing war crimes in Ozdrim and surrounding villages in the Peja region. The defendant again pleaded not guilty.
The trial restarted due to a change in the composition of the judicial panel. Judge Arben Hoti was promoted to the Court of Appeals and replaced by Judge Kujtim Krasniqi, according to “Betimi për Drejtësi.”
Presiding Judge Donikë Shala-Abdyli noted that the trial must start anew. Following this, Gjoković reaffirmed his plea of innocence.
With the agreement of all parties—including Special Prosecutor Iliri Morina, the defense counsel Dejan Vasić, and Gjoković himself—the court acknowledged as read the previously submitted opening statements and witness testimonies.
Due to the absence of witness Hajrrije Krasniqi, the session was suspended. The court announced it will verify her address and subsequently issue a summons.
At the start of the trial, Gjoković requested copies of previous session transcripts, claiming he had not received 18 of them from the prior year. He emphasized that, besides his lawyer, he wished to personally have access to these documents.
Previously, the case had been led by Judge Valon Kurtaj, who was also promoted to the Court of Appeals in November, transferring the case to Judge Shala-Abdyli.
Charges Against Gjoković
According to the indictment filed on June 23, 2023, Gjoković is accused of committing multiple crimes during 1998–1999 in Ozdrim and nearby villages as a member of the Serbian police and military forces.
The charges include:
- Murder, assault, maltreatment, torture, and inhumane treatment of dozens of ethnic Albanian civilians.
- Arbitrary detention and holding civilians in slave-like conditions, forced displacement, and deportation.
- Looting, burning, and destruction of civilian property.
The indictment details:
- Serbian regular army entered Ozdrim from the north via the Peja–Mitrovica regional road, while paramilitary groups and special military units entered from the west near Vitomiricë.
- They opened fire on civilians, resulting in six ethnic Albanian civilian deaths (I.K., Sh.K., E.M., R.Sh., Z.Sh., M.H.).
- Three civilians wounded (A.G., H.G., M.G.) were first transported to Peja hospital, later executed and buried in Lutogllavë.
- Additionally, five civilians (R.K., Z.K., A.K., A.K., A.Sh) were killed during the offensive, but their bodies remain missing.
Gjoković is accused of committing war crimes against the civilian population in co-perpetration, as defined in Article 142 in conjunction with Article 22 of the Penal Code of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), the law in effect at the time.
