For the first time, a court in Kosovo has issued a verdict in absentia for wartime sexual violence during the last war in Kosovo. Ivica Rajkovic and Dragan Denic have been sentenced to 15 years in prison each for wartime sexual rape. The Basic Court in Prishtina found both individuals guilty of the criminal offense of “war crimes against the civilian population.” They, as members of the Serbian police forces during the war in Kosovo, committed sexual rape against a woman.
The presiding judge, Rrahman Beqiri, stated that the accused, acting in co-perpetration with other police officers, committed the sexual rape.
During the announcement of the verdict, the judge stated that the victim suffered severe pain and emotional trauma.
The Special Prosecution Office filed the indictment against Ivica Rajkovic and Dragan Denic on September 14, 2023, charging them with the criminal offense of “war crimes”, alleging that during the war in Kosovo, they complicitly mistreated and looted the Albanian population.
In the justification of the decision, Judge Beqiri said that the trial was conducted in the absence of the defendants, as they could not be arrested.
Besides sexual violence, based on witness statements, the same perpetrators committed other war crimes such as mistreatment, looting, and torture, which were not included in this particular indictment.
The survivor of this crime was raped in front of her husband, who served as the main witness in the case, and his testimony was crucial for the court. Additionally, six individuals were involved in the rape, but only these two were identified by the victim.
To date, three verdicts have been issued for wartime sexual violence in Kosovo.
Zoran Vukotic was sentenced to 13 years in prison, in the other case Vukotic was acquitted, and in the case of Zivojin Nesic “Zika” he was sentenced to 15 years. Meanwhile, this is the first case for a trial in absentia for this war crime. The first man who publicly spoke about sexual rape, Ramadan Nishori, was present at the announcement of the verdict.
