Witnesses state that the accused Milović helped them before and during the war in Kosovo, providing one with medicine when he was beaten by Vukotić in prison

Witnesses state that the accused Milović helped them before and during the war in Kosovo, providing one with medicine when he was beaten by Vukotić in prison.

In the war crimes trial of Zoran Kostic and Dragan Milovic, the Basic Court in Pristina heard on Wednesday two witnesses proposed by the defense, Murat Mema and Sami Rrustemi. They said that the accused Milovic had helped them before and during the war in Kosovo.

In this case, Zoran Kostic and Dragan Milovic are accused of having committed war crimes against the civilian population in their capacity as members of the Serbian police, in complicity with other members of the Serbian police, army and paramilitaries, reports “Oath for Justice”.

Initially, the presiding judge, Judge Lutfi Shala, informed the parties about the change in the composition of the panel, specifically Judge Arben Hoti will replace the member of the panel, Judge Valon Kurtaj, after the latter, after a recruitment process, was promoted to the Court of Appeals.

The hearing initially heard witness Mema, who said that he knew the accused Milović and that he had known him since childhood, because as he said, he had a shop in the city of Vushtrri and whatever Milović needed, he had found a solution with him.

“I know this even as a child because I had a bar in Vushtrri, everyone who came to me would cry,” said witness Mema.

Meanwhile, when asked if he had ever met the accused Milović during the war, witness Mema affirmed, providing additional details.

“I met him, I used to carry goods in a small cart for the market, and he helped me several times. On the way, they stopped us, checked us, forced us to empty the goods, and he helped us. When they did, I didn’t empty them. When they had to guard them, he and his police colleagues never stopped us or checked us,” said witness Mema.

Mema further said that the accused Milović had also helped them by giving them priority while waiting in line, and had confronted other police officers in a case where, according to him, they were about to take his car.

“They once tried to take my car by force, that’s the pearl with them, they shot me right there and then they called me,” said the witness.

Meanwhile, the accused Milović did not have any questions for witness Mema, but addressed him and greeted him.

“Are you okay, send my regards to the family,” the accused addressed the witness.

Witness Sami Rrustemi also gave his testimony before the trial panel, saying that he was imprisoned for 22 days in Smrekonica prison, while the accused Milović had sent him medicine for treatment, after, according to him, he had been beaten by Zoran Vukotić.

“Dragan Milović came to Smrekonica prison, asked if he needed anything, HH said, “It’s a bit annoying that you can bring him some tablets, and two days later he brought them to me,” said Rrustemi.

Meanwhile, when asked by special prosecutor Florije Shamolli-Salihu whether the accused wore a uniform in Smrekonice prison, witness Rrustemi confirmed this.

According to the indictment filed on May 16, 2024, the accused Zoran Kostić during the war in Kosovo, as a member of the Serbian police forces, in complicity with other members of the Serbian police, army and paramilitary, wearing a police uniform and armed, with awareness and purpose, acting according to the plan and orders of his superiors, he participated directly in the attack against the civilian population of Albanian nationality, specifically the Ujkani family during a well-organized action, after the Serbian forces were stationed in the house of Sh. .Z, which the Serbian police and army used as a headquarters, on the critical day in the offensive of the Serbian army against the civilian population.

According to the indictment, among other members of the Serbian army and paramilitaries, there was also the accused Kostiq, who took part in looting the houses of Albanian residents, then burned the houses and killed unarmed civilians in the village of Reznik, as: IU , MU with his wife, BU, FU, SU, FU, (of the Ujkani family) also killed TU with his wife HU on the critical day, and in order to destroy the evidence and implement the plan in its entirety, they put set fire to the houses and burn the corpses of the Ujkani family (witness BU saw this event).

Further, in the indictment it is stated that on May 22, 1999, the accused Kostiq in complicity with other unidentified persons had ordered the expulsion of the Albanian population from their homes, forcing them to continue towards the city cemetery and separating the men from the women. and children, where in that crowd were members of the Dallku family – MD, AD, FD, ED, SH.D, VD, VD, VD, L.LL and three people with the surname Haliti.

On the way to the city cemetery, the Serbian policeman MC tells the accused Kostić “you know what to do with this” and there they start beating the civilians with strong tools such as metal pipe, strong wooden sticks, kondak of the automatic machine and others, then they ordered them to enter the shop of the Rashans, where there were also three other civilians HH, EH and NH, then they again ordered them to leave the bar and go in front of SP’s house , where there were also some paramilitaries in mixed-color military uniforms, who had short and long weapons.

It says that the accused Kostić, dressed in a Serbian police uniform, had asked another Serbian paramilitary “do you also want this group” where there were about 12 people, but one of the paramilitaries had told him that everything has ended here and continue somewhere else , so they continued through other streets to go to the city cemetery and in front of the house of dr. Ramadan John.

The indictment says that upon arriving there, Kostiq ordered the civilians to lean their faces against the wall with their hands up, and at one point the policeman Kostiq approached the victim Sh.D and left four-five gun cartridges in the right pocket of his jacket. , and after a while he orders them to take out the things they had with them, while at that moment Sh.D took out the cartridges from his pocket, on the occasion Kostiq told him “you were carrying cartridges to kill policemen” and called a paramilitary who was hairless, tall, armed and in military clothing, long and short firearms, as well as knives, and there he separated Sh, S, V., N., and EH, bringing them into the house of Gjoni together with two other paramilitaries, and after a while gunshots were heard and Sh.D was killed, while V. was taken by four paramilitaries in a car after they found out that he had two cars at home and they took them away , in the meantime, the bombings by NATO have started and then all the people who were in the city cemetery in Vushtrri have been dispersed there.

According to the indictment, it is said that on May 24, 1999, the victim – witness VL, after being separated from his family by the Serbian paramilitary forces, was arrested and taken to the police station in Vushtrri, to be interrogated. There, the accused Kostiq hit the injured VL with a hard tool two or three times behind the head, with the reasoning that “he is a terrorist of the KLA”, who is relieved by these blows.

With this, the accused Kostiq is accused of having committed the criminal offense of “War crimes against the civilian population” from article 142 related to article 22 of the RSF LP, also provided for in the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo, “War crimes in serious violation of common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions” from article 146, par.1 and 2, subsection 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 of the KPRK, related to article 31 of the KPRK.

According to the second provision, the accused Dragan Milović during the war in Kosovo, as a member of the Serbian police forces, during the war in Kosovo, together with others, forcibly sent some 20 thousand civilian residents of Vushtrri to the city cemetery and there the accused mistreated, beat and tortured civilians, who were gathered at the city cemetery, where among them was K.Sh., who now knew the accused Milovic and begged the accused to save him , but the same one says “I have nothing to do with you, father”.

Then, it is said that the accused Milović together with some armed Serbian policemen began to separate the Albanian civilian population, as well as forcing them to place their tied hands behind their heads and kneel on their heads to the ground, repeatedly hit some with an iron cane, and some with wooden sticks and with weapons.

The indictment says that in that crowd there were also AA, K.SH, HK, FB, MM, SR, TF and others, where K.SH and AA had now seen the accused Milovic who was wearing a Serbian police uniform and police equipment, continuously hitting these civilians with a metal stick and also beating the civilians with punches and kicks, where they had managed to identify the accused Milovic.

In the indictment it is stated that the witness AA, while standing in line in the crowd of gathered people, had heard a Serbian policeman now addressing the accused Dragan “stop what are you doing so these things (cows) are not”, then violently they put them in trucks and sent them to Smrekonica prison, where they were mistreated in the most brutal ways, even by other perpetrators, and after a few days of being in prison they infiltrated the Republic of Albania.

With this, it is accused that in co-perpetration he committed the criminal offense “War crimes against the civilian population”, foreseen and punishable under Articles 142 and 22 of the Criminal Code of the SFRY, currently penalized under Articles 31 and 153 of the Criminal Code of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in violation of Common Articles 3 and 4 of the Geneva Conventions, dated 12 August 1949, Articles 4 and 5 (1) of Protocol 2 dated 8 June 1977, additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, all the rules of international law in force at the time of the armed conflict in Kosovo.