Kosovo's Special Prosecution filed war-crimes charges against 35 people over the killing of 26 civilians at the Jashari compound in Prekaz in March 1998. Former security and police chiefs are among the accused. Prosecutors requested a trial in absentia because the defendants could not be brought before the court. Chief prosecutor Blerim Isufaj called it the first indictment over the compound's civilian deaths.
Kosovo's Special Prosecution filed an indictment against 35 people over the attack on the Jashari compound in Prekaz on 5, 6 and 7 March 1998. Prosecutor Valdet Gashi said the charges concern the killing of 26 civilians. Chief prosecutor Blerim Isufaj described it as the first indictment over civilian deaths at the compound. The court must assess the war-crimes allegations and the evidence submitted.[1], [2]
The indictment names former Serbian State Security Service chief Jovica Stanisic, former senior interior ministry official Vlastimir Djordjevic, wartime Kosovo staff chief Sreten Lukic and former special operations commander Milorad Ulemek. Gashi said material evidence and witness accounts identified the accused, who held senior command posts in Serbian special police units. The allegations concern their roles in the attack on the compound.[1], [2]
Prosecutors requested a trial in absentia after saying they had exhausted ways to secure the defendants' presence. The case went to the Basic Court in Pristina. Legal cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia over war crimes is almost nonexistent. Isufaj said investigators worked with the United States, Britain, Europol and Eurojust. Gashi said the inquiry also established the forces involved, their positions, the defendants' activities and the weapons used.[1], [2]
