The Basic Court in Pristina held its final hearing on Thursday in the trial of former head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Driton Gashi, who is being charged in the case known as the "Gülenists." The defendant's defense requested an acquittal, while the injured party requested a conviction.

In this case, Driton Gashi, in his capacity as head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA), is accused of being directly involved in the expulsion of 6 Turkish citizens from Kosovo in violation of legal procedures, reports "Oath for Justice".

The final statement before the court was given by the defense of the injured party and the defense of the accused Gashi. Meanwhile, in the session of November 21, 2025, prosecutor Habibe Salihu-Statovci submitted her final statement in writing.

The defense attorneys for the injured parties, attorneys Leotrim Syla and Urim Vokshi, submitted their final arguments in writing.

Meanwhile, lawyer Syla stated, among other things, that this court hearing also proved that the six Turkish citizens were deported intentionally. Both defense attorneys requested that the accused be held accountable.

On the other hand, the defense attorney of the accused Gashi, lawyer Florent Latifaj, stated that he stands by the final statement given in the previous hearing.

Meanwhile, during the statement of lawyer Latifaj, the session was temporarily closed to the public, due to the elaboration of parts of the sessions that were closed to the public.

In the end, lawyer Latifaj requested that his client be acquitted of the charges, emphasizing that "the humiliation that has been inflicted on the security institution in Kosovo must end."

"Honorable Court, please base your decision on the findings of the KIA report compiled for these citizens of the Republic of Turkey. Also on the convictions they received in their own country for organizing armed terrorist organizations. The KIA institution has carried out its work with great precision and in compliance with the law and has not abused its authority but has protected the interests of the country. We propose that after reviewing the evidence, you issue an acquittal and this shame that has been inflicted on the Kosovo security institution ends here," said lawyer Latifaj.

On July 19, 2023, the Constitutional Court found the former head of the AKI, Driton Gashi, guilty, sentencing him to 4 years and 8 months in prison, while Valon Krasniqi and Rrahman Sylemani were acquitted of the charges.

However, in December 2024, the Court of Appeals returned this case for retrial only with regard to point I of the enacting clause against the accused Driton Gashi, while confirming the acquittal of the other two accused.

According to the indictment filed by the Special Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kosovo on February 24, 2021, Driton Gashi is accused of being an official at the time of the commission of the criminal offense as the General Director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, hereinafter KIA, from March 23, 2018, until March 29, 2018, in Pristina, in order that the citizens of the Republic of Turkey, Cihan Ozkan, Yusuf Karabina, Kahraman Demirez, Hasan Hyseyn Demir and Mustafa Erden, who had a legal residence permit and the right to work in Kosovo, and Osman Karakoya who had applied for a residence permit in Kosovo, whose procedure had not been completed, to illegally deport them from Kosovo and hand them over to the Turkish authorities.

According to the indictment, Driton Gashi is accused of abusing his official position, not fulfilling his official duties according to his competence, in such a way that the Department for Citizenship, Asylum and Migration, hereinafter DSHAM, of the Ministry of Internal Affairs recommended the revocation of residence permits for Turkish citizens Cihan Ozkan, Yusuf Karabina, Kahraman Demirez, Hasan Hyseyn Demir and Mustafa Erden and not granting permission to Osman Karakoya, for the reason that they may pose a risk to national security, a fact that has not been proven at all in the procedure implemented on the basis of the law, while the accused Rrahman Sylejmani, director of the Directorate for Migration and Foreigners in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, hereinafter DMH, had recommended the issuing of six orders for the deportation of those injured by force from the Republic of Kosovo.

The PSRK claims that the accused Driton Gashi, for this procedure and for the deportation of the victims by force from the Republic of Kosovo, did not notify the President and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, as provided by the Law on KIA, nor the Chief State Prosecutor as provided by Article 25 of the Law on KIA, and that it also exceeded the competences including KIA, in arranging the travel, transportation and participation in the deportation operation that were not the competences of the leading agency, then directly engaged in the deportation action of them either because this was not within his competence.

With these actions, the PSRK charges the accused Driton Gashi with having committed the criminal offense "Misuse of official position or authority", from article 422, paragraph 1 of the KPK.

According to this indictment, Valon Krasniqi was accused of abusing his official position as director of the Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (DCAM) from March 23, 2018 to March 29, 2018, by failing to fulfill his official duties according to his competence, in such a way that, in violation of Article 91 of the Law on Foreigners, he made a decision to revoke the legal residence permits of the injured citizens Cihan Ozkan, Yusuf Karabina, Kahraman Demirez, Hasan Husein Demir and Mustafa Erden, and in violation of Article 44 of the same law for Osman Karakoya, who was in the process of obtaining a residence permit, without it being concluded with a final decision, but he acted only based on the recommendation of the accused Driton Gashi for the revocation of residence permits for Turkish citizens and without verifying at all whether the KIA information meets the legal criteria established by law to prove that the injured pose a security risk. national.

According to the Prosecution, the accused Valon Krasniqi also transferred his legal responsibilities for identifying the deportees, providing travel documents, providing medical care and the authority to implement their forcible deportation operation to the KIA and the Kosovo Police, thus violating the rights of the injured parties, their right to reside and work legally in Kosovo, and causing moral and material damage to the injured parties.

With these actions, the SPRK charged the accused Valon Krasniqi with having committed the criminal offense of "Abuse of official position or authority" under Article 422, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of Kosovo.

The SPRK charged the accused Rrahman Sylejmani with having, as an official person, director of the DMH, at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on March 29, 2018, in Pristina, exceeded his official powers in such a way that he issued six orders for the forcible expulsion of 6 citizens of the Republic of Turkey, the injured parties Cihan Ozkan, Yusuf Karabina, Kahraman Demirez, Hasan Husein Demir and Mustafa Erden, who had legal residence and work permits in Kosovo, and Osman Karakoya who was in the procedure for obtaining a residence and work permit, although based on Article 99, paragraph 1 of the Law on Foreigners, it was not at all within the competence of the DMH that he directed, but within the competence of the DCAM.

Whereas, it is said that the orders for forced expulsion were issued even though none of the conditions for issuing an order for forced expulsion from Article 97, paragraph 1 of the same law were met and also without implementing the procedure provided for in Article 97, paragraph 8 of the same law, while, he forcibly expelled and deported the injured party Hasan Husein Gunakan illegally even though his residence and work permit in Kosovo had not been revoked at all and there was no order for his expulsion, in this way he seriously violated the rights of the injured parties to reside and work in Kosovo, thereby causing moral and material damage to the injured parties.

With these actions, the Prosecution charged the accused Rrahman Sylejmani with having committed the criminal offense of "Abuse of official position or authority" under Article 422, paragraph 1 of the CCK.

The prosecution also accused Rrahman Sylejman of unlawfully depriving the injured parties mentioned in provision III of their liberty during March 2018, in the "Mehmet Akif" schools in Gjakova and Lipjan and in the house in the "Marigona" neighborhood in Pristina, with the assistance of the Kosovo Police, by forcibly expelling and deporting them without any legal basis provided for in the provisions of Article 29, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and Article 13, paragraph 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

With these actions, the SPRK charged the accused Rrahman Sylejmani with having committed the criminal offense "Unlawful deprivation of liberty" under Article 196, paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code. /Oath for Justice/

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