The murder of 14 Serbian reapers on 23 July 1999 in Staro Gracko could be the first case before the Special Court. Close associates of the KLA wing, led at that time by Hashim Thaci, may be suspects.
The investigation, led by UNMIK has ended long time ago, and the names of the perpetrators are known. According to the investigation of UNMIK, the crime has committed members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, namely branch under the name “Fortuna”. The crime took place just a few days after the arrival of UNMIK and KFOR in Kosovo, and four days after the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement that stopped the NATO bombing of the former Yugoslavia.
The perpetrators, then already known, but more importantly available to the then competent authorities of UNMIK, were not prosecuted because the then head of UNMIK, Bernard Kouchner, established the principle of so-called “understandable retaliation”. He thus pardoned the perpetrators of this crime from further prosecution, because the Albanians, in his words,” have survived suffering, and their wounds were still fresh.”
The whole area was blocked an hour after the murder of Serbs. From the investigation conducted by the UNMIK, the main suspect for the murder of Serbian reapers, by the command line was Mazlum Bytyqi, who was a close associate of the wing of the KLA led by Hashim Thaci.
