Filipovic: Dragan Ristic’s hearing postponed because case files were not provided in Serbian

A plea hearing for Dragan Ristic from Djakovica was scheduled today before the Special Department of the Basic Court in Pristina. However, the hearing was postponed because the case files were not provided in the Serbian language, attorney Jovana Filipovic told Kosovo Online.

"The plea hearing for Dragan Ristic was postponed because the Special Prosecution did not submit the case files in Serbian," Filipovic briefly stated.

Filipovic added that the next hearing is scheduled for July 22 at 9 a.m.

Ristic (76) is in custody on suspicion of allegedly committing a war crime against the civilian population in Djakovica in May 1999.

He was arrested by the Kosovo Police on February 25 at the Jarinje crossing, on his way to Djakovica with his son to renew his documents.

Prior to this, he had traveled from central Serbia to Kosovo dozens of times.

Upon his arrest and the order for detention in February, Filipovic stated that she was convinced this was a case of mistaken identity.