80 criminal reports against Serbian armed forces during the Kosovo War, were filed today at the country’s War Crimes Department.
One of these reports involves a victim of sexual abuse during the war, who is filing a lawsuit against 3 Serbian officers.
Criminal charges were filed by the Association of War Crimes Gjakova 98-99.
“This time, we’ve filed a total of 80 criminal reports that typically revolve around murders, tortures, and collateral damages caused during the war,” – said Shkendija Hoda, head of the association.
The same association has filed other pieces of evidence and documents in the past, which provide a detailed report on hundreds of war crimes committed in Kosovo during the late 90s.
Directors from this association have explained that the files they have submitted possess important materials and witness reports, which will help investigators uncover cases of murder and abuse committed by Serbian forces against Albanian civilians.
Gjakova is widely recognized as one of the cities which has suffered the most during the Kosovo War from 1998-99.
Around 1.200 civilians are known to have died in this city alone.
According to the Fund for Humanitarian Rights – Kosovo, the commune of Gjakova currently has the highest number of missing persons in all of Kosovo.
“We don’t have the luxury or the opportunity to go to Serbia and arrest them but maybe the ongoing dialogue process and an agreement could bring about some sort of results. However, I am certain that every criminal who tries to enter Kosovo, will be arrested because the evidence we possess is substantial,” – said Hoda.
In addition, she said that the association is ready to stand by the side of each witness until the very last legal procedure is complete.
But what is the current status of wartime rape survivors in Kosovo?
During the Kosovo War in 1998-1999, upwards of 20,000 women are believed to have been raped and assaulted by Serbian forces. Of them, only 1.048 have acquired the official status of sexual abuse survivor during the war, based on a law that was passed back in 2014.
In more than 2 decades since the war, authorities in Kosovo have only convicted 1 person for the crime of sexual assault during the war.
The European Mission or EULEX – which is responsible for the rule of law in Kosovo – was able to officially submit their wartime files to Kosovo authorities back in January 2019, which also included a total of 434 police reports.
In 2018, a Government Commission began work on recognizing and verifying the survivor status for rape victims during the war.
1.618 citizens have applied to acquire this status so far, which secures survivors a monthly pension of €230 euros.
The status has been granted to 1.048 citizens; 224 applications were refused and 304 are still being processed.
According to Kosovo’s Constitution, a survivor of sexual abuse is a title granted to someone who has survived an act of sexual abuse and/or assault from February 27, 1998 – June 20, 1999.
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