Mejë Massacre Retrial Begins: Opening Hearing Held Against 53 Defendants

The trial in absentia against 53 defendants accused over the Mejë massacre restarted on Friday at the Basic Court in Prishtina, with the opening hearing held in the case.

The presiding judge, Violeta Namani-Hajra, said sufficient efforts had been made to secure the presence of the defendants in the proceedings.

Through its decision of May 25, 2026, the Court of Appeals had sent the Basic Court’s decision back for reconsideration — a decision by which the latter had confirmed the indictment of the Kosovo Special Prosecution, “Betimi për Drejtësi” reports.

Initially, with the consent of all those present, the indictment was considered read.

The presiding judge then said the court had taken the legal steps, publishing the summons and the indictment on the court’s website. But, she added, none of the defendants is present in the courtroom.

Judge Namani-Hajra also said the court had sent requests to the community information offices, which responded that they have no knowledge of the defendants’ whereabouts.

According to her, the court is convinced that efforts have been made to secure the defendants, and so it decided the trial will be held in absentia.

The defendants will be represented throughout the trial by their defense counsel.

Judge Namani-Hajra announced that within 30 days the defendants may file objections to the evidence and request the dismissal of the indictment.

Present in the courtroom were 53 ex officio defense lawyers for the 53 defendants and special prosecutor Ilir Morina.

The Kosovo Special Prosecution (SPRK) filed the indictment in absentia against the 53 defendants over the Mejë massacre in December 2023. The indictment was amended on December 23, 2024. All the defendants remain at large to this day.

The defendants in the case are: Momir Stojanović, Sreten Ćamović, Nikola Miqunović, Milovan Kovačević, Sergej Perović, Veroljub Živković, Milan Kotur, Radomir Čolić, Dragutin Josifović, Franko Simatović, Momčilo Stanojević, Vllatko Vuković, Ilija Todorov, Stevo Kaponja, Dragan Živanović, Miloš Gjošan, Danilo Zečević, Dimitrije Rašović, Miloš Šćepanović, Predrag Stojanović, Aleksandar Peković, Živko Vuksanović, Milutin Novaković, Sokol Abazi, Novica Stanković, Mišo Popović, Milan Novićević, Nenad Rajičević, Muharrem Ibraj, Milan Slavković, Dragan Isaillović, Saša Antić, Zllatko Odak, Savo Lekić, Dragan Racić, Milladin Novaković, Dragan Peković, Njegoš Prašćević, Dušan Prašćević, Ranko Vukadinović, Momčilo Stijović, Dušan Nedović, Gjokica Mihajlović, Mirash Gegović, Zoran Mirković, Aleksandar Miqunović, Llazar Drashković, Mihill Abazi, Momčilo Novaković, Marko Abramović, Smajl Beqiri, Momčilo Pantić and Predrag Miqunović.

According to the indictment, between 1998 and 1999, during the war, in the villages of the Gjakova municipality, the defendants, acting in co-perpetration as part of a joint criminal enterprise, committed the crimes they are charged with, holding positions in the security, military and police command structures and state security of the former Yugoslavia. Among them: Momir Stojanović — head of the Security Department of the Prishtina Corps Command; Sreten Ćamović — head of the State Security Department (UDB); Nikola Miqunović — commander of reserve units; Milovan Kovačević — head of the Secretariat of Internal Affairs in Gjakova; Sergej Perović — head of security in the 52nd Artillery-Rocket Brigade of Air Defense in the Gjakova garrison; Veroljub Živković — commander of the advance command post and chief of staff of the Prishtina Corps; Milan Kotur — head of infantry in the Prishtina Corps Command; Radomir Čolić — commander of the special police units (PJP) in Gjakova; Dragutin Josifović — commander of the police station in the village of Ponoshec; Franko Simatović — commander of the paramilitary “Unit for Special Operations” (JSO); Momčilo Stanojević — commander of the Territorial Defense; Vllatko Vuković — commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Motorized Brigade; Ilija Todorov — commander of the 63rd Parachute Brigade. The remaining defendants are listed as military police commanders, artillery and police officers, reservists, territorial defense members and other functionaries.

The defendants stand accused of grave violations of international law, specifically the common Article 3 of the four Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, and the additional protocols, having committed murder, torture, inhuman treatment, intimidation, destruction of property, mass deportation and ethnic cleansing of the civilian population of Albanian nationality.

According to the indictment, from April 27 to April 29, 1999, in the Gjakova municipality — specifically in the villages of Mejë, Korenicë, Junik, Vogovë, Devë, Zhub, Batushë, Koshare, Molliq, Brovinë, Nivokaz, Morinë, Berjahë, Ponoshec, Pacaj, Dobrosh, Sheremet, Dallashaj, Rracaj, Stubëll, Nec, Smolicë, Popoc, Shishman, Babaj Bokës, Ramoc, Rrypaj, Madanaj, Orize, Duzhnjë, Guskë and Brekoc — Serbian police and military forces, acting under the command of the aforementioned defendants, carried out a widespread and systematic attack against the Albanian-nationality civilian population.

The indictment says that in April 1999, after the killing of policeman Milutin Prašćević and four other policemen, the defendants gathered in the village of Mejë for a secret meeting at a private house in Gjakova. Taking part, it says, were the leaders of the military, police and state security formations of the former Yugoslavia: Momir Stojanović, Nikola Miqunović, Sreten Ćamović, Milovan Kovačević and Sergej Perović. Under the pretext of clearing the terrain of KLA forces, they devised a plan for the ethnic cleansing of the Albanian population of the so-called “Reka e Keqe” in the Caragoj area, planning the killing of over 100 people and the burning of all houses in retaliation for the killing of the five policemen by the KLA.

To implement the plan, Serbian forces first surrounded the aforementioned villages with military and police vehicles. Taking part in the operation: the 63rd Parachute Brigade, positioned on the eastern side; the 52nd Military Police Battalion, positioned in the middle of the Caragoj valley; the 125th Motorized Brigade, positioned in the Smolice area; the 52nd Artillery-Rocket Brigade, positioned on the “Qabrati” hill near “Osek Hylë”; and the 549th Motorized Brigade — 2nd Motorized Battalion.

Then, the indictment says, they began firing toward the villages with heavy artillery, bombing every village and every house, and finally entered all the aforementioned villages on foot.

According to the indictment, going house to house, at gunpoint, by force and intimidation, they forced civilians out of their homes, gathering them in designated places, so that columns of expelled people set off toward Albania. During this journey, civilians were forced to pass through three checkpoints set up in the villages of Mejë, Korenicë and Orize, where, during the checks, Serbian forces separated the men from the women and children. The latter were ordered at gunpoint to leave for Albania, while the men were executed in the most barbaric manner in various locations.

On this occasion, the indictment says, 283 civilians were killed in the village of Mejë, 66 in Korenicë, 1 in Pacaj, three in Dobrosh, 3 in Rracaj, 2 in Nec, 5 in Ramoc, 7 in Bishtazhin — 370 civilians of Albanian nationality in total, whose bodies were found in eight mass graves in Batajnica, Serbia.

According to the indictment, during the same time, place and manner described in the indictment’s first count, Serbian police and military forces, in implementing the so-called “Reka e Keqe” plan, in which the defendants also took part — whether by virtue of their leading positions or directly as perpetrators — took part in the expulsion of the civilian population from their homes.

The indictment says that, using systematic and widespread violence, they first surrounded the aforementioned villages and then bombarded them with heavy artillery, finally entering on foot and going house to house, forcing residents at gunpoint to leave their homes and obliging them to depart in columns toward Albania. On the way to Albania, they passed through the three checkpoints in Mejë, Korenicë and Orize, where their identification documents were taken, along with money and other valuables, as they were insulted and physically mistreated.

Then, the indictment says, they separated most of the men from the column, while the column of civilians — mostly women and children, over 20,000 residents — was deported under police escort to Albania at two border crossings, Qafë Prush and Morinë, while their property was looted and their houses burned along with residential outbuildings, completely destroying the entire family economy of these villages and causing great material damage.

The 53 defendants are charged with having committed in co-perpetration the criminal offense of “War crime against the civilian population,” sanctioned under Article 142 in conjunction with Article 22 of the Criminal Law of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, currently incriminated as “Crimes against humanity,” sanctioned under Article 143, par. 1, items 1.1; 1.2; 1.4; 1.6; 1.8; 1.9, subparagraphs 1.4; 1.6; and 1.7, in conjunction with Article 31 of the Kosovo Criminal Code No. 06/L-074.

Source: Betimi për Drejtësi