Kurti recalls massacres in Qyshk, Pavlan, Zahaq and Llabjan: Delayed justice is denied justice

May 14, 2022

The Prime Minister of the country, Albin Kurti, today commemorated the massacres committed during the recent war in Cuska, Pavlan, Zahaq and Llabjan. He said horrific crimes were committed in these villages 23 years ago, leaving 44 people dead in Cuska, 17 in Zahaq, 21 in Pavlan and 13 in Llabjan.

In addition to the killings, hundreds of civilians have been forcibly evicted from these villages and a large number of houses have been looted and burned.

“For all those who have experienced the recent war in Kosovo in this area, you remember that during May 1999 in all these villages, men were robbed, men were separated from women, shootings were carried out and houses with corpses were burned inside. Successive crimes. “Each one is heavier than the other”, wrote Kurti.

The Prime Minister said that usually for such cases there are no trials, no decisions and no indictments.

“But in the case of the massacres in question, for some of the murders the trial was initiated in Belgrade, as a result of the criminal report made by the Humanitarian Law Center. The indictment was filed in 2010, while in February 2014, with a First Instance Judgment, three persons were sentenced to 20 years in prison, one to 15 years, one to 12 years, one to 10 years, one to 5 years, two with 2 years of imprisonment each, while the charges against two persons were dropped. “But in February 2015, the War Crimes Department of the Belgrade Court of Appeals overturned the first-instance verdict and remanded the case for retrial.”

Kurti went on to say that since 2015 some of the accused have died, and some have left the indictment due to poor health.

“However, since 2015, the trial is still ongoing. As of 2015, there are no concrete results. “Despite the fact that 116 witnesses were heard in this case, still today, in 2022, there are no convicts with a final Judgment.”

He said that delayed justice is denied justice, while adding that the victims deserve to rest in peace, and the families to be calm knowing that the criminals have received the deserved punishment.