The trial for the massacre in Dubrava Prison, the witness: Even today, when I see the guard, my body shudders

"Even today in the hall when I see the warden, my body shuddered because of the horrors we experienced those days".

This is how the survivor of this massacre, witness Nait Hasani, began his confession about the massacre in Dubrava Prison, in the 04.11.2024 session of the trial of Gavrilo Milosavlevic, accused of this massacre of Kosovo Albanian prisoners in 1999.

The defendant Gavrilo Milosavlević is being accused of, as an official in Dubrava Prison, individually and in collaboration with other persons, having applied repressive measures of murder, beating, mistreatment, torture, cruel and inhumane treatment of civilian prisoners of the nationality Albanian.

The witness Nait Hasani stated that from 29.04.1999 to 24.04.1999 he was in Dubrava Prison in Ward B.

He said that on 26.04.1999 they were transferred from Mitrovica i Srem Prison to Nisit Prison and experienced torture.

"On April 26, we were transferred from Mitrovica i Srem Prison to Nis Prison. We experienced crazy torture from the prison guards, from electric shocks, with wood, wooden and iron sticks, long and short "sticks" - declared the witness Nait Hasani.

The witness Nait Hasani stated that even during their delivery to Dubrava Prison, they had been ill-treated and tortured on the bus.

The witness stated that between May 5 and 10, 1999, they took him to a room and tortured him.

"From May 5 to May 10, exactly within these dates, 5 guards took me personally to their room where the psychologist and the pedagogue are staying, because then there was no psychologist and pedagogue, in that room all forms of torture began" he declared. witness Nait Hasani.

Further, the witness Hasani stated that on May 15, 1999, the guards asked the prisoners to sing Serbian songs, and after they did not sing, the torture began.

The witness Nait Hasani stated that on May 19, at around 13:15 p.m., NATO planes bombed Pavilion C.

Further, the witness Hasani stated that on May 21, 1999, he was called by megaphone to the police station to gather on the sports field with the reason of counting.

Further, the witness Nait Hasani stated that after they had approached the police station, they started shooting with machine guns, bombs, "Zola" and other means.

The witness also mentioned the name Branko Komadina and that he was the supervisor of ward B.

Previously, in the session of 04.11.2024, the first to testify before the court was Ukë Thaqi.

He gave his version before the court regarding these events.

The witness Ukë Thaqi stated that in 1998 he was arrested and was in Prizren Prison and on April 30, 1999 in a bus in which 80 people had been transferred to Dubrava Prison.

Witness Ukë Thaqi further stated that when they arrived at Dubrava Prison, getting off the bus, they were mistreated by the guards.

"The bus landed in the front yard of the Dubrava Prison complex, where there is a place for farming... There were two buses with the registration of Nis, unloading other prisoners... The windows were open and it was a terrible moment when we saw them where the prisoners disembarked, none of the prisoners could get off on their own feet, due to the guards' attacks with sticks, they were mistreated right away when they got off the bus door" - said the witness Ukë Thaqi.

Thaqi said about the accused Gavrilo Milosavlević that he had heard the supervisor calling the accused by the name "Garo".

In the question of the prosecutor Ilir Morina about the NATO bombings, the witness said that that day he was with Sh.H., in the room, and he had called him that "NATO had fallen".

Further, the witness stated that when they wanted to go out, the shutters were closed and the guards had run away.

"We went out to the gates, but they were closed, then I heard that a guard named "Manc" was given permission to "take the ordinary prisoners and open the doors", because the guards ran away from there and we remained closed" - said the witness Uke Thaqi

Further, the witness stated that after they had come out of the bars they had helped the other prisoners to come out.

The witness stated that 16 people were injured from the NATO bombings.

Witness Thaqi also confessed about the date of May 22, 1999, when they were called to go to the sports field

"On the morning of May 22, they called us to go to the sports field, the guards called us, and we went out there and did 4 rounds... I saw Gani Iballi, a teacher in Bllacë, nearby, and he also thinks that they are coming with us by bus send to a safer place and tell me: "Here's a dry suitcase, I'll put my clothes in it." At the moment when we were dealing with these suitcases, they had the 'Trombloni' crisis, "Zola", mass shooting" - stated the witness Ukë Thaqi.

Witness Thaqi said that after these crackers he had fallen to the ground.

"When they raised them, I fell to the ground and people fell on top of me" - the witness Thaqi added further.

The witness further stated that he had seen people with burnt bodies from the "Zolas" and "Tromblones", while the number of those killed was 117 people.

During his testimony, the witness Ukë Thaqi stated that he has published two books on this issue about Dubrava Prison, the first edition in 2007 and the second edition in 2011.

Witness Ukë Thaqi handed over the book titled "Massacre in Dubrava Prison (Scenarios of the Massacre)" to the Court and the defendant's defense attorney, Dejan Vasiq.

Further, the witness Ukë Thaqi was questioned only by the prosecutor, while the defender of the accused Gavrilo Milosavlević, lawyer Dejan Vasić, stated that he could not question the witness after asking the Prosecution to take the statements given by the witness. Uke Thaqi in UNMIK and EULEX and said that these statements should be given to the defense as part of fair trial practices.

Further, Vasiq said that without access to these previous statements, he cannot effectively interrogate the witness Ukë Thaqi.

In relation to this, the trial body made a decision that it will try to secure these testimonies if the same one has given them.

After the working hours ended, the session was adjourned.

This criminal case is being judged by Vesel Ismajli - chairman, members Arben Hoti and Kujtim Krasniqi.

The indictment against the defendant Gavrilo Milosavlević was filed on 29.11.2023, while the initial hearing was held on 07.12.2023.

During the initial hearing, the accused Milosavlević, after the reading of the indictment by the Prosecutor's Office, stated that he understood the offense for which he is being accused, but stated that he does not feel guilty.

What does the Prosecution file say?

According to the Prosecution's file, in the time period 1998-1999, during the time of war in Kosovo, the defendant Gavrilo Milosavlević as an official in Dubrava Prison individually and in collaboration with other persons had applied repressive measures of murder, beating, mistreatment, torture, cruel and inhumane treatment of civilian prisoners of Albanian nationality.

According to the indictment, Gavrilo Milosavlević, in collaboration with Serbian police units, had committed the mass murder of Albanian prisoners, in which case on the day of the incident, they had ordered 1 prisoners to come out to the prison yard, known as the sports field. , on the grounds that they would count the prisoners and send them to some other safer place to protect the prisoners from NATO bombing.

Furthermore, according to the indictment, immediately after lining up the prisoners, the Serbian police units fired at them with all kinds of weapons, such as "Kalashnikov", machine guns, mortars and other weapons, and from behind the prison wall with hand grenades.

From this killing operation, which started from 22.05.1999 and lasted until 24.05.1999, as a result of these attacks 109 prisoners were killed and 108 prisoners were injured.

According to the indictment, the accused Milosavlević, in complicity with other Serbian military officials, had gone almost every day to wards "B" and "C" (the wards of Dubrava Prison), cruelly and inhumanely beating Albanian civilian prisoners, insulting and mistreating them physically and mentally, without any reason, just because they were Albanians.

For these actions, the accused Gavrilo Milosavlević is accused of complicity in committing the criminal offense - war crime against the civilian population.

For the massacres and other war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo by the Serbian and Yugoslav forces during the war of 1998/1999, the highest former political and military leaders of the remaining Yugoslavia were tried, and some were even convicted. of Serbia.

The former president of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, was accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed by the Serbian and Yugoslav forces in Kosovo. Milosevic was accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in Croatia.

His trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), based in The Hague, had not received an epilogue since Milosevic had died on 11.03.2006 in the cell while being held in custody.

Milan Millutinovic, the former president of Serbia, was acquitted of war crimes charges during the conflict in Kosovo.

Nikola Shainović, Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war.

Dragolub Ojdanić, former Chief of General Staff of the Yugoslav Army, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against humanity.

Nebojsha Pavkovic, the former commander of the Third Army of the Yugoslav Army, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war.

Vladimir Llazarević, the former commander of the Pristina Corps of the Yugoslav Army, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for crimes against humanity.

Sreten Llukić, the former chief of staff of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs for Kosovo, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war.

You can find the full judgment, in English, at link, reports Kallxo.