PRISTINA -- An ethnic Serb has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in war crimes committed during the 1998-1999 Kosovo War.
A court in Pristina handed down the sentence against Goran Stanisic on October 5, after finding him guilty of participating in ethnic cleansing against ethnic Albanians and the killing of 13 civilians.
Goran Stanisic, who was arrested in 2019, was among Serbian soldiers, police, and paramilitary troops who attacked the villages of Sllovi and Terbovc in April 1999 and executed ethnic Albanian men.
In his closing remarks, Stanisic’s defense lawyer questioned the credibility of the witnesses in the case, saying they did not mention the name of the defendant in any of their testimonies.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the verdict will be appealed.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nearly a decade after the war between ethnic Albanian separatists and the forces of rump Yugoslavia left more than 10,000 dead.
The war ended after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign that drove Belgrade's troops out.
Kosovo's independence has been recognized by more than 100 countries, but Serbia still considers the territory a southern province.
Kosovo Jails Serb For Crimes During War Of Independence
![Goran Stanisic (center) in court in Pristina on October 5.](https://gdb.rferl.org/00ed0000-0a00-0242-9310-08d988012f87_cx19_cy7_cw69_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
U.S., Canadian Warplanes Intercept Russian, Chinese Military Aircraft Near Alaska
2Crowdsourcing Russia's Future: Poll Of Experts Considers What Comes After Putin
3Russia Attacks Ukrainian Danube Port For Second Day As NATO Scrambles Warplanes Over Romania
4Turkey Detains Russian Man Suspected Of Car Bombing In Moscow
5Ukrainian Forces Fight Intense Battles In Donetsk Region, Zelenskiy Says
6Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
7Pentagon Finds Another $2 Billion Of Accounting Errors For Ukraine Aid
8'Don't Even Whisper In Your Language': Russian Course For Central Asians Lays Down Strict Rules
9Under Relentless Russian Attacks, Ukrainian Power Plant Workers Race To Get The Lights Back On
10Bulgarian President Admits Blocking Pro-Western Envoy To Kyiv
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.