Ekrem Bajrovic was sentenced on Friday to 12 years’ imprisonment for his role in the beating, torture and killing of ethnic Albanian civilians who were fleeing towards Albania.

The Prishtina Basic Court on Friday found Kosovo Bosniak Ekrem Bajrovic, a former member of Serbian forces during the Kosovo war in 1998-99, guilty of war crimes, including the beating, torture and killing of ethnic Albanian civilians in the municipality of Istog/Istok in May 1999.

The court sentenced Bajrovic to 12 years imprisonment with credit due to time spent in custody from October 19, 2022 onwards. The court also ordered him to pay 300 euros for court expenditures and 100 euros for the victim compensation program within 15 days of the verdict.

The court confirmed that Bajrovic committed war crimes as a member of Serbian police and military forces, individually and in collaboration with others. He had pleaded not guilty on October 2, 2023.

In the village of Saradran/Staradan, on May 8, 1999, a column of fleeing ethnic Albanian civilians who were heading towards Albania was stopped by Serbian police and military forces, among whom was Bajrovic.

The men were separated from the rest and had their money and other valuables taken from them. They were then placed in the yard of a house and lined up, facing a wall. Serbian forces then physically assaulted them.

During the beatings, the men were taunted by being asked: “Where is NATO?” and “Where is the KLA [Kosovo Liberation Army]?” the court heard.

The men were then sent to a house where at least 16 of them were shot. Only one survived.

On May 7, 1999, in the same village, Bajrovic had participated in the arrest, kidnapping and mistreatment of 84 civilians. They were initially separated from a column of fleeing ethnic Albanians and had all their money and valuables taken, the court found.

They were taken to the village of Gurakoc/Djurakovac, where they were mistreated and tortured. Bajrovic led the violence, hitting one of the victims with the butt of a machine gun. They were then transferred to the local police station where they were tortured and threatened with death, suffering serious bodily injuries and trauma, the charges said.

The parties can appeal the verdict.