The Basic Court in Pristina has sentenced Živojin Nesić to 15 years in prison for war crimes against the civilian population, namely for the rape of a woman.
The verdict was announced by Judge Violeta Namani-Hajra, who said that Nesić, in complicity with other unknown members of the Serbian forces, committed this criminal offense.
The judge said that the injured party had identified the accused before the Commission for the Investigation and Detection of War Crimes. She had also identified him before the police, but also in court and the prosecutor's office.
"The evidence of the injured party is supported by the testimonies of eyewitnesses AA, HA, and HH, where from this evidence, the court has established that Živojin Nesić, using physical and psychological violence and inhumane actions, committed sexual violence against a woman of Albanian nationality. And with these unlawful actions, Živojin Nesić committed the criminal offense for which he was found guilty and sentenced according to the law," said Namani-Hajra, reports Betimi për Drejtësi.
The indictment against Nesić was filed by the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office on August 26, 2024, and the trial – which was closed due to the sensitivity of the case – began on September 11 of that same year.
Nesić has been in detention since March 5, 2024, and the court has extended this measure until the verdict becomes final.
In Kosovo, the first conviction for wartime sexual violence was handed down in 2021. Zoran Vukotić was initially sentenced to ten years in prison for sexual violence. However, the case was retried and the former Serbian police reservist was again sentenced to ten years in prison. However, in 2023, the Court of Appeals increased his sentence to 13 years in prison.
According to data presented by institutions in Kosovo, during the last war, there were around 20,000 cases of sexual rape by members of Serbian forces. /REL (A2 Televizion)
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