Kosova’s Special Prosecution has filed an indictment in absentia against 35 former Serbian officials and senior commanders, accusing them of war crimes committed during the three-day assault on the Jashari family compound in Prekaz, Skenderaj, on March 5–7, 1998.

The indictment, dated September 4, 2026, describes the attack as a planned military-police operation that killed civilians, including children, women and the elderly, and involved hostage-taking, torture and the destruction of civilian property.

According to the document, the neighborhood had been under surveillance since early 1998, with cameras mounted on a water tank at the Skenderaj munitions factory recording movements around the clock. The surveillance was overseen by the Special Operations Unit under Milorad Ulemek, known as “Legija,” who was reportedly present at the factory complex.

By early March, the indictment says, Serbian forces had moved armored vehicles, tanks, heavy machine guns, mortars and anti-aircraft weapons into the area. An operational headquarters, referred to by the accused as “Villa,” was set up inside the factory, led by Goran Radosavljević, known as “Guri.” Commanders of special anti-terrorist units from Belgrade, Novi Sad and Prishtina were named alongside him.

A protected witness identified as “D5” testified that Ulemek’s unit was assigned specifically to attack the homes of the Jashari family, while other units sealed off the village to prevent anyone from entering or leaving — a formation the indictment calls the “iron ring.” Above this structure, prosecutors say, two senior staffs coordinated weapons approval and orders: one led by Jovica Stanišić and Vlastimir Đorđević, the other by Sreten Lukić.

The assault began around 6 a.m. on March 5, without warning. Prosecutors allege Serbian forces knew large numbers of civilians were present but made no distinction between military and civilian targets.

Eight people were killed in the kitchen of Halit Jashari’s house on the first day, among them five-year-old Blerim Jashari and other children. Days later, tank fire hit a room sheltering members of Shaban Jashari’s family. According to the indictment, the first strike killed six people, including several teenagers; a second strike killed two more who had been wounded earlier. Special forces then approached the room, threw hand grenades and opened fire with automatic weapons, killing three more, including seven-year-old Blerina Jashari. Besarta Jashari was the only survivor in that part of the house; she was captured and held at the factory complex until evening.

The indictment also details the capture and torture of dozens of civilians, including a two-month-old infant, who were held in the factory yard without food or water and threatened with death, before some were transferred to police stations in Skenderaj and Mitrovica.

Prosecutors argue the accused acted with direct intent, aware of the civilian presence and the consequences of using heavy weaponry, yet chose to continue and intensify the attack. The indictment states the motive was to terrorize the population and demonstrate force. A separate group of six defendants, including brigade and police commanders Dragan Živanović, Obrad Stevanović and Ljubinko Cvetić, are charged with command responsibility for failing to prevent or punish the crimes.

The case rests on Article 142 of the former Yugoslav Criminal Code, read together with Article 22 on co-perpetration, and cites precedent from Kosova’s Supreme Court and the ICTY confirming the existence of an armed conflict in Kosova during 1998–99.

All 35 defendants are Serbian nationals believed to be at large; some are reported to have died, though prosecutors say international legal channels have not yet confirmed this. The trial will proceed in absentia. Prosecutors have proposed dozens of witnesses, including surviving Jashari family members, journalist Henry Vaughan Lockhart Smith and forensic expert Arsim Gërxhaliu.

Chief Prosecutor Isufaj said the indictment was the product of careful, evidence-based work and that it now falls to the court to assess it under the standards of a fair trial. The Special Prosecution has asked Prishtina’s Basic Court to schedule a judicial review under Article 303 of the Criminal Procedure Code.