“We Found Them Without Organs,” the Testimony of the Victims’ Families in Istog – Indictment Against Two Serbs for War Crimes

The Special Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment against two Serbs for war crimes against the civilian population. They are accused of committing crimes against the Salihaj, Imeraj, Lipa, and other families in the Dukagjin region. The victims’ families know both accused personally and claim they roamed freely for years. They express disappointment with the justice system and are not optimistic about the outcomes of the trial.

To face justice for war crimes against the civilian population, an indictment has been filed against Momir Pantić and Žarko Zarić.

In 1999, both held leading positions in police stations, with Zarić as the chief in Rakosh and Pantić in Istog.

The Salihaj family knew both of them well due to ongoing issues with them. Furthermore, it was Pantić who had given the order to kill nine members of the Salihaj family, spanning three generations.

“The father fell there with four sons and three grandsons. Three generations. The father was the oldest, and the youngest was Hysniu, Shaban’s son, 16 years old. The worst part was that they had opened them up and taken their organs. All of them had been opened up except for Shaban. The father was killed here, the brother’s son here, Shaban was killed by the main road… His wife, Fatime, was also killed. We found her hair. When they killed her, they had asked for a blanket too. Afterward, they made her disappear,” said Sefadin Salihaj, a relative of the victims.

Only a part of Fatime Salihaj’s body was found three months later in the nearby mountains.

Life had brought Sefadin face to face with Pantić several times, but he expresses no optimism about his trial.

“I saw him in Istog with his wife, right in the center. He hung out with Albanians, but he always said he wasn’t involved. In fact, he was. He was more than a participant. He gave orders. He carried out his state’s orders. His workers knew; there were even paramilitaries here… I filed complaints against Žarko. They took him for a few days and then released him again. Now they tell me he’s been arrested again. I don’t know how happy I should be. It could be just a formality. Maybe I’m wrong, but based on the past, I’m not convinced. I don’t believe justice is working hard enough,” he said.

Among the families that suffered due to the orders of the two defendants is also the Imeraj family.

Žarko’s order left the Imeraj family without 19 members, and Hyra Imeraj without her husband and son.

“We were inside, and the neighbor came out and said it’s full. We didn’t know anything; just two men came and threw things at the windows. Me, with three kids, the old neighbor. The old man told them he knew them because he had guarded cattle with them. He said, ‘Don’t, you’re terrifying the kids.’ He said, ‘There are no more neighbors.’ He cursed in Serbian and shot as much as he could. I tried to hide my son. I was scared they would take him. When they fired, I fell on top of him, and it was useless. They kept shooting,” said Hyra Imeraj, the mother of Mohamed Imeraj.

Now behind bars, the defendants are in pre-trial detention until the trial begins.

Momir Pantić and Žarko Zarić are accused of crimes committed against the Salihaj, Imeraj, Lipa, Pepaj families, and others, including, in two cases according to the Prosecutor’s Office, sexual assaults on the victims.