The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora announces that the judicial authorities of Serbia have initiated criminal proceedings against the citizen of the Republic of Kosovo, Avni Qenaj, and have imposed a 30-day detention order on him, on allegations of war crimes in 1999.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora emphasizes once again that this action constitutes a continuation of Serbia's practices of political persecution of Kosovo citizens, through unfounded and politically motivated accusations.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, through the Liaison Office in Serbia, will continue to closely monitor this case and will take all necessary diplomatic actions to protect Qenaj's rights and to refute these unfounded and politically motivated accusations."
In the framework of this engagement, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to Serbia, Jetish Jashari, yesterday visited Mr. Qenaj at the Detention Center of the High Court for War Crimes in Belgrade, where he offered him the full institutional support of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, in accordance with international law and justice standards. Mr. Qenaj stated that during his stay in police custody, psychological pressure was exerted on him, but without physical mistreatment, and that there is currently no mistreatment by the detention authorities, "the MFA statement says.
According to the Ministry, he has announced that he has not yet been visited by his family, but expects their visit in the coming days, while his family has hired four defense lawyers for his legal representation.
Qenaj was arrested on November 26, 2025 at the Merdar border crossing, during transit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where his family has a family business.
After his arrest, he was held for 48 hours in Prokuplje and then transferred to Belgrade. On 28 November, he appeared before the pre-trial judge at the High War Crimes Court in Belgrade, where he was informed that the High War Crimes Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade had initiated criminal proceedings against him and had been ordered to be detained. /Telegrafi/
