Balkans | A Serbian soldier accused of sexual abuse during the Kosovo war is being tried in absentia

Home » Balkans | A Serbian soldier accused of sexual abuse during the Kosovo war is being tried in absentia
Balkans |  A Serbian soldier accused of sexual abuse during the Kosovo war is being tried in absentia

The Office of the Special Prosecutor of the Republic of Kosovo submitted the indictment prepared against Dr. , a member of the Serbian military reservists, on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war, to the Pristina court for trial in absentia.

In a written statement from the Special Prosecutor’s Office, “Evidence was collected about Accused D., as a member of the Serbian military reserve forces during the war in Kosovo, violating international law during a massive and systematic attack by the Serbian army, police and paramilitary forces.” expression was used.

The indictment stated that the accused had sexually assaulted an Albanian woman, causing “wounds on her body and severe permanent mental trauma”.

It was indicated in the statement that the Office of the Special Prosecutor offered to conduct the trial “in absentia” because all efforts to find the accused had been exhausted.

He stated that with these actions, the defendants had committed “war crimes against the civilian population” under the Yugoslav Penal Code and the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo.

The Kosovo government began the registration and verification process for victims of sexual harassment and assault in the Kosovo War in February 2018. By April, 1,473 cases had been confirmed, of which 1,402 were women and 71 were men.

It is estimated that around 20,000 people were victims of sexual harassment and abuse during the Kosovo War.

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