Miloš Plesković from Prizren has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a war crime against civilians, committed in the Prizren neighbourhood of Hoca Mahala in September 1998, attorney Jovana Filipović confirmed for KoSSev.
Plesković was found guilty of participating in the murder of three Albanian civilians on September 1, 1998, in his capacity as a member of police forces.
In addition to the prison sentence, he has been ordered to pay court costs and a €100 contribution to the Kosovo War Victims Fund.
He has been held in pre-trial detention since September 30, 2023, following his arrest in Ugljare, where he had been living as a displaced person from Prizren.
Defence Criticises Ruling as “Image of Kosovo’s Judiciary”
Reacting to the verdict, defence attorney Jovana Filipović announced plans to appeal, arguing that the case exemplifies what she calls “the image of Kosovo’s judiciary.”
“It’s enough for someone to be indicted—regardless of the quality of the indictment—for a conviction to be issued,” Filipović told KoSSev.
She criticised the court’s acceptance of the prosecution’s claims, including the assertion that a 19-year-old boy was serving as a military sergeant despite allegedly never having completed military service. Filipović also pointed to procedural irregularities, such as the indictment being based on the statement of an anonymous witness, with the victim only giving a statement later.
“Even worse,” she continued, “a person has been sentenced for three murders despite there being no eyewitnesses or any evidence connecting the accused to the victims.”
Filipović claims the ruling demonstrates a selective application of the law:
“This verdict is a clear example that everything we were taught in law school doesn’t apply—that justice here is distributed selectively. Everything we believed was legally impossible, we’re now seeing unfold in practice.”
She concluded by reaffirming the defence’s intention to appeal the decision.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
