The court session against the defendant, Gravilo Milosavlević, was postponed today due to the absence of witness Binak Bujupaj, who was proposed by the defense, attorney Dejan Vasić.
This was announced by the presiding judge, Vesel Ismajli, as reported by “Betimi për Drejtësi.”
“Binak Bujupaj was also summoned for yesterday’s session, but he did not appear, and although the court has no proof that he received the summons, during a conversation with the defense yesterday, the attorney said he would try to ensure the witness’s presence—but as we see, he is not in the courtroom,” said Judge Ismajli.
Milosavlević, who served as a prison guard at Dubrava Prison, is accused of war crimes against the civilian population.
Regarding the absent witness, attorney Vasić proposed that the session be postponed, requesting more time to secure his appearance. If unsuccessful, he said the defense would withdraw the request to hear this witness.
“I attempted to contact this witness for today’s session but was unsuccessful. I kindly request that we postpone today’s session. I will very shortly inform the court whether it’s possible to contact this witness by phone. If not, we will withdraw the request and inform the court,” Vasić said.
Additionally, Vasić proposed another witness, Asllan Visoqi, stating he would provide his contact information and address.
According to the defense, the Visoqi family had prior conflicts with the Milosavlević family. Before the war, Asllan Visoqi’s father allegedly shot the defendant’s father eight times, for which he was convicted.
Vasić added that this evidence was submitted to the prosecution, although it had not been forwarded to the court.
Prosecutor Ilir Morina did not oppose the defense’s proposal to hear the witnesses. However, regarding the submitted evidence about Visoqi’s father’s conviction, Morina argued that it was not relevant to the charges.
“These documents are part of the case file and we believe they were submitted to the court. The fact they are not listed in the indictment does not mean they are not part of the case. We do not consider them relevant to the charge of ‘war crimes against the civilian population’,” Morina said.
The trial panel approved the defense’s request to hear witnesses Bujupaj and Visoqi and decided to admit the submitted evidence into the record.
As the required conditions were not met to proceed, the session was adjourned and will continue on a later date.
According to the indictment filed on November 29, 2023, Gavrilo Milosavlević, acting as an official at Dubrava Prison, is accused of committing war crimes against Albanian civilian detainees in collaboration with other individuals.
He allegedly took part in acts of murder, physical assault, torture, and inhumane treatment. On May 22–24, 1999, prison officials, including Milosavlević, reportedly ordered approximately 1,000 prisoners to gather on the prison’s sports field under the pretense of relocating them for safety due to NATO bombings. Once gathered, Serbian forces opened fire using machine guns, mortars, and other weapons, killing 109 prisoners.
The indictment further states that Milosavlević and other Serbian officials frequently entered Blocks B and C of the prison and subjected Albanian inmates to brutal and inhumane beatings.
It also mentions specific abuses toward notable prisoners like Ukshin Hoti, Gani Baliu, Skender Gashi, Mehmet Memqaj, and Shkelqim Zllanoga. In one incident, guards turned off the lights in their cell, verbally abused them, and reportedly choked Zllanoga to the point of near suffocation.
Milosavlević is charged with war crimes against the civilian population, under Article 142 in connection with Article 22 of the Criminal Code of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), which was in force at the time of the alleged crime.
