Sacir Lutvija, a 65-year-archaic ethnic Gorani dilapidated member of the Serbian police force, became as soon as sentenced to ten years in prison in a retrial at the Pristina Total Court, for battle crimes dedicated accurate by the 1998-Ninety 9 battle in Kosovo.
Serbian police and militia forces staged a campaign of arrests of ethnic Albanian civilians and 11 of them were taken to Prizren police put of living in southern Kosovo, the put Lutvija became as soon as amongst the inspectors who wondered them, constant with the indictment.
Prosecutors acknowledged those arrested were beaten accurate by the interrogation and subjected to electric shocks on their hands and genitals. One civilian died and ten others sustained serious accidents.
Lutvija, who has both Kosovo and Serbian citizenship, became as soon as arrested in October 2023 and has been in detention since then. The time in custody will be counted in opposition to his sentence.
The Kosovo Special Prosecution charged Lutvija with unlawfully involving and beating civilians, inhumane treatment and execute in his ability as an inspector and police officer in Prizren. Lutvija pleaded no longer guilty in September final year.
Make a selection Kujtim Krasniqi on Tuesday ordered Lutvija to pay a court rate of 400 euros as nicely as 100 euros to the crime victims’ fund.
The choice would possibly per chance also be appealed.
Lutvija became as soon as before all the pieces put sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Pristina Total Court in November 2025.
However the Court of Appeals sent the case to a retrial in June this year having concluded that the Pristina Total Court had no longer “concretely clarified the actions attributed to the accused with regards to each and every of the injured events”.
The Court of Allure also acknowledged the Total Court did no longer explained the accused’s participation in committing the crimes and “did no longer elaborate the evidence upon which the conclusions presented in the decision were primarily based entirely”.
The Gorani are a miniature Slavic ethnic crew who largely note Islam and inhabit a highland triangle between Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.