In the case where Ekrem Bajrović is being accused of war crimes, the witness Shefqet Berisha, proposed by the Prosecution, confessed about his experiences during 1999.
Witness Berisha made such a statement during his hearing, telling about his experiences during 1999 in Staradran, reports “Oath of Justice”.
Initially, the witness Berisha stated about what happened on May 7 of that year.
“It happened, I can’t even describe what horror happened that day. They also told me that almost 50,000 refugees were there that day, not a single KLA soldier was there. They separated the convoy, this (accused Bajrović) was present with the policemen of Gurakoc and with paramilitaries who were wearing masks”, he said.
War crimes trial, witness: I can’t even describe what horror happened that day
In the case where Ekrem Bajrović is being accused of war crimes, the witness Shefqet Berisha, proposed by the Prosecution, confessed about his experiences during 1999.
Witness Berisha made such a statement during his hearing, telling about his experiences during 1999 in Staradran, reports “Oath of Justice”.
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Initially, the witness Berisha stated about what happened on May 7 of that year.
“It happened, I can’t even describe what horror happened that day. They also told me that almost 50,000 refugees were there that day, not a single KLA soldier was there. They separated the convoy, this (accused Bajrović) was present with the policemen of Gurakoc and with paramilitaries who were wearing masks”, he said.
Further, he said that he had known the accused Bajrović since the 90s, where he said that he had raided his house, after he had refused to go for military service in Yugoslavia.
“I know this in the 90s, there was an invitation to go to Yugoslavia for military service, which I refused, this one came and turned my back and I ran away… I didn’t dare to go with them for 4 years in my house”, added the witness Berisha.
Also, he stated that he had seen the accused Bajrović on May 7, on the hill of Staradran, dividing the convoy, for whom he said he had a police uniform and a cane, adding that he was not disguised.
Meanwhile, he said that after separating the columns, they sent them to a school, where they stayed until the next day, May 8, where he said he saw the accused Bajrović again.
On the same day, in Zallca, the witness Berisha said that one of the persons who have been separating the men from their families was the accused Bajrović.
“I remember this (Bajrović), Banjaci, Stojkovic, he sat down with them, waiting for us, because they had the ceremony with us. They have a shop, over 300 people were there”, said the witness Berisha.
Further, the same person stated how they had sent them to a bar in Zallca, after separating them from the column, where, according to him, they had beaten them, after they had backed them against the wall.
He said that he thinks that the accused Bajrović was there, but that he could not see him, because they were leaning against the wall.
Meanwhile, the witness Berisha told how they loaded more than 100 people into a truck, to then send them to Gurakoc Prison, where he said that the accused Bajrović was also there.
“They took us to the Gjurakoc Prison, they also have this one (Bajrović) there. There, they added a number of prison basements, it was a 4 by 4 room, they made a large boiler, they threw it in the middle to meet the needs”, he added further.
Then the witness Berisha said that the police took over the prison, where according to him a beating took place.
“I remember this (Bajrović), Banjaci, Stojkovic, he sat down with them, waiting for us, because they had the ceremony with us. They have a shop, over 300 people were there”, said the witness Berisha.
Further, the same person stated how they had sent them to a bar in Zallca, after separating them from the column, where, according to him, they had beaten them, after they had backed them against the wall.
He said that he thinks that the accused Bajrović was there, but that he could not see him, because they were leaning against the wall.
Meanwhile, the witness Berisha told how they loaded more than 100 people into a truck, to then send them to Gurakoc Prison, where he said that the accused Bajrović was also there.
They took us to the Gjurakoc Prison, they also have this one (Bajrović) there. There, they added a number of prison basements, it was a 4 by 4 room, they made a large boiler, they threw it in the middle to meet the needs”, he added further.
Then the witness Berisha said that the police took over the prison, where according to him a beating took place.
The same said that at 10 o’clock at night they started interrogating them, adding that they also beat them and that they asked them to accept everything they told them.
On the following day, May 9, witness Berisha said that they were sent by bus to Peja Prison, where, according to him, they were beaten again, and that they stayed there until June 10 or 11.
Meanwhile, he added that on June 10 or 11, at 2 o’clock in the morning, they were released from prison, after hearing that the bankruptcy of Serbia was being celebrated.
“They threw us out of prison, at 2 o’clock in the night, what a horror, because they saw that they lost Kosovo and they were imprisoned in it,” said the witness Berisha.
And then, from Peja Prison, he said that they had sent him in more than 10 buses to Gurakoc Prison to be supplied with derivatives.
However, he then said that they had sent them to the village of Leskoc, where according to him, people from the Roma community had entered those buses and beaten them in front of the Serbs, from whom, according to him, they had received orders for this.
Meanwhile, the defender of the accused Bajrović, lawyer Ljubomir Pantović, confronted the witness Berisha with his statement given at the Police Station in Istog last year, for which the latter stated that he stands by her.
According to the lawyer Pantovic, the witness Berisha did not mention the accused Bajrovic in that statement in any case.
However, in relation to this, the witness Berisha said that he probably forgot to mention them there, and that he was reminded of them today after he told the whole incident.
But for the statement given today, he said that what he said is true.
“I gave my statement, what I said is true”, said the witness Berisha.
According to the PSRK indictment, filed on September 15, 2023, Ekrem Bajrovic is being accused of committing war crimes against the civilian population in the Municipality of Istog and the surrounding villages during 1998-1999.
In this indictment, it is said that the same as a member of the Serbian police and military forces, individually and in collaboration with other persons, participated and contributed to the application of repressive measures of murder, raids, beatings, mistreatment, arrest, torture, cruel and inhumane treatment, keeping in conditions of slavery, expulsion and penetration of the civilian population, looting, burning and destruction of the houses of the civilian population of Albanian nationality.
According to this indictment, on May 8, 1999, in the village of Staradran, while the convoy of the civilian population of Albanian nationality was heading towards Albania, it was stopped by the Serbian police and military forces, in which the accused Bajrovic was a member.
It is further said that the same person was beaten with various means and inflicted serious bodily injuries, as well as telling you “where is NATO, where is KLA”.
Also, the indictment says that they then sent them one by one to the house of Z.S. and they shot at least 16 civilians of Albanian nationality, in which case the victim/witness Naim Elshani survived, who was injured, while 15 were killed.
Further, the indictment says that on May 7, 1999 in the village of Staradran, he participated in the arrest, kidnapping and mistreatment of 84 civilians of Albanian nationality.
So that first the injured are separated from the column of civilians, they take all their money and other valuables, and then they all send them to Gurakoc to Shaban Syla’s bar where they were mistreated and tortured in an inhuman manner.
However, the indictment says that on May 8, 1999, they were transferred to the police station in Gurakoc, where the accused Bajrovic was driving the convoy and he hit the injured Azem Tuzi on the right side under the ribs with the back part of the machine gun.
Meanwhile, at the end, the indictment says that after being placed in the police station in Gurakoc, they started torturing them in an inhumane way, causing them serious physical injuries, psychological violence, trauma and health consequences and seriously threatening them with their lives.
Therefore, according to the indictment, there is a well-founded suspicion that the same person in complicity committed the criminal offense “War crime against the civilian population, foreseen and sanctioned by Article 22 of the Criminal Law of the former RSFJ”.
