Witness: The Vukotitch and another person took me out of the house pointing a gun at my chest

“Basca with another person, has entered my house, put the tin in my chest and told us for two minutes leave the house, and the míji has taken about 400 dinar”, the witness said, reports “Justice Bettim”.

Prosecutor Florie Shamolli asked the witness about the events of April 17th 1999, but the defender of the accused Vukotic, lawyer Nebojsa Vlajric, argued that the subject of today's trial is not the events of that day.

The lawyer said the trial is under way for the events of April 18, 1999, and that the prosecutor is willing to ask questions about the part of the indictment for which the prosecution has given up, which it has no right to ask questions.

In this regard, the chairman of the court, Judge Nqman Beqiri, has instructed the prosecutor to ask the witness questions only in relation to the execution of the indictment for which the trial is under way.

In addition, Candor reminded the parties in the procedure that at the point of the indictment, the prosecutor EULEX has withdrawn during the initial review hearing, and for the Court, that drop-off point of the indictment in no case will be considered in this judicial examination or later.

So he instructed the prosecutor to submit questions related only to the general aspect of the criminal case.

For this, prosecutor Shamlli said that this witness is a circumstantial witness and that he is only describing the story from where it begins.

The Witness Maxhün stated that after leaving home, he heard a crack and returned on short streets and saw that he had burned his house.

He also said that the next day, on April 18th, they returned to the house and realized that they have now killed the deceased B.M. at a crossroads, but that there is no information about who killed him.

Maxhun has claimed that the accused was seen in a uniform of police, blue with black marks.

Otherwise, Judge Beqiri stressed that at the next session, the parties will be declared regarding witnesses who should hear again about two charges, or reading their earlier statements.

The Special Prosecutor, had filed four counts of war crimes against the civilian population during 1998-1999 against accused Vukotic, but with the proposal of defender of accused Vukotic, lawyer Nebojsa Vlajjic, became uniting the case on August 22nd 2024.

“Zorn Vukotype I”

In the first indictment, which the Special Prosecutor established on April 20th 2017, Zoran Vukotic was charged that between May 2nd and 3rd 1999, as police official reserve from the police station in Vushtrri, in co-operation with other persons from among the Serb forces, has participated in the attack on the Albanian civilian population.

According to this indictment, civil populations are said to have been deliberately subjected to brutal and illegal killings, nonhuman treatment, endless suffering, deportation, and the application of terror measures.

Based on the indictment, among these civilians killed, injured and treated unhumanally for what defendant Zoran Vukotic holds responsibility are: Ekrem Mullaku, Xhavit Mullaku, Fatmir (Ahmet) Grxhaliu, Ashref Rasica, Adnan Bulnjak, Nakmon Ademi, a 14-year-old unidentified Haki Ademi, Shaip Gerjaliu, Musa Grxhaliu, Bajram Grjaliu, Bahrije Gerjaliu and Avdi Grxhaliu.

On May 25, 2018, the Constitutional Court in Mitrovica, Vukotovic had found him guilty of points 3 in the indictment, condemning him to six years and six months in prison for war crimes against the civilian population sanctioned by the Geneva Convention.

In 2019, the Court of Appeals has turned the case into a retrial in terms of the indictment point I, which charged Vukocuti with participating in the murder of Albanian civilians in the village of Vushtrri Studies, and from which he was released from the first instance. For the indictment's point II, however, the Court of Appeals has confirmed the sentence pronounced by the accused Vukotic for six years and six months ' imprisonment, since he has found no violations in this section, and therefore denied complaints as groundless.

“Zoran Vukotype II”

In the second indictment that P SRK founded it on 16 May 2017, accused Zoran Vukotovic was charged that during wartime in Kosovo, on May 5, 1999, in Vushtrri, in co-ordination with defendant Guroljub Paunovic, in the quality of the reserve in Serbian police, dressed in Serbian police and army uniforms, as well as armed with knives, pistols and automatic rifles, have robbed Albanian civilians in their courtyards and homes.

For this, Vukotic is accused of deliberately beating four Albanian civilians, identified as Enver Rrustolli, Hamdi Fazliu, Avdula Fazliu and Fahredin Fazliou, in co-ordination with Gurolju.

Also, in the context of this act, Zoran Vukotik, in co-ordination, is accused of dehumanizing the body integrity, health, physical and mental well-being of those injured and witnesses, torturing them, Sanije Fazliun, Fikreje Shaqiri, Vehbi Xhemen, Zenepe Xhemina, Nexemina, Besart Cema, Zeli Xhema, Behar Plana, Luljet Rasika, Ghajerajni Maxjren, Maxhen, Gazmen Shabetin, Shabet, Shabetin Shaden, Shinder, Osmanebet, Musazman and Musk, and Muskina, whose actions are also beaten with the most serious effects of this day, and other forms of mind-t-offs, which are also caused by heavy injuries.

On May 16, 2018, Vukotic, in the absence of evidence, was acquitted of this charge by the Constitutional Court in Mitrovica. According to the chairman of the court, Darius Sielicki, guilt should be proven beyond the basis of suspicion.

Later, the Court of Appeals, on January 9, 2019, had turned the case into retrial after the SPRK's complaint and according to official duty.

“Zoran Vukotiq III”

The third instance, set up on June 23rd 2023, charges Zoran Vukoqi that at the time of the armed conflict in Kosovo, on April 18, 1999, at around 1500 a.m. on Sitnica's” street now “Enver Musa”, near the cemetery of the town of Vushtrri, the defendant in co-ordination with NN persons, in the quality of the Serb police reserve, dressed in Serbian and armed police uniforms, have acted in opposition to international law rates in Kosovo during the conflict.

According to the indictment, accused Vukotic, in co-ordination he has killed the minor in Albanian nationality of 13 years old, B.M., with automatic weapons in the manner that now victims, along with his uncle Faton Mulin's son, had taken the bicycle of neighbour Skender Bajraktari and left in the neighbourhood near Vushtrri's cemetery. Then, they had heard a series of gun shots, which would change the way and head toward the “Enver Musa” street, where they face three armed policemen on the main road.

On the other hand, always according to the indictment, when the two children see the police, they begin to leave, where one of the unphothed policemen, now defendant Zoran Vukotic, from a distance of 30 meters, shoots shots at children, shooting at chest B. M, who dies immediately, while Faton Mulley manages to escape gunfire, hiding by the nearby wall.

In this regard, the accused Vukotovic is accused of committing a joint criminal act “War crimes against the civilian population”, contrary to Article 142 related to Article 22 of the Criminal Code of the former Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia (KPRSFJ), parallel to Article 3 (11) in Geneva, as well as including Article 153 (2), concerning Article 31 of the Kosovo Republic's Criminal Code.

For the first point of this indictment, the prosecution had withdrawn from prosecution. The judgment, on the other hand, continues for the second point of the indictment.

“Zoran Vukotic IV”

The fourth instance against Zoran Vukotic was filed on October 4th 2023, with which it was charged that, in co-ordination, it committed criminal work “war crimes against the civilian population”, and currently designated as a crime against humanity. The trial in this case began in November 2023, but that the hearing was closed to the public. This is because Vukotic is in this case accused of sexual assault during the war.

Due to the volume of work, these Vukotic-related materials have been passed by the Mitrovica Foundation Court at the Special Department of the Foundation Court in Pristina.

In another case, Vukotic was accused of being a member of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs police force during the war in Kosovo on May 22, 1999, in co-ordination with other members of the Serbian military, police and paramilitary forces, in the territory of the Vatican Community, has participated in the expulsion of the Albanian civilian population, physical violence and mental violence towards them, as well as the use of violence and other inhuman acts. According to the prosecution, Vukotic has committed sexual rape as part of a broad and systematic attack on Albanian national women.

In this case, Vukotic was originally sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Constitutional Court in Pristina on November 15th 2023, but Appeals had increased that sentence from 10 to 13 years in prison with the argument that the 13-year sentence is in proportion to the weight of the criminal act committed by Vukotic. The Supreme Court, however, had confirmed that sentence.