Lawyer Vlajic: Evidence suggests that Dusko Arsic did not commit a war crime

Nebojsa Vlajic, the lawyer of Dusko Arsic from Matiqan, who is charged by the Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo for an alleged war crime in 1999, stated after the closing arguments that this was a case where there was almost no evidence, and justice in this case could only result in an acquittal.

The verdict in Dusko Arsic's case is scheduled for February 2 at 10 a.m., and lawyer Nebojsa Vlajic emphasized after today's hearing that the court would have a difficult time resolving this issue.

"This trial is one of many similar trials taking place in Kosovo courts, and in my opinion, as I pointed out in the closing statement, it is a case where the evidence is not only unconvincing but almost non-existent. A man who lived in Kosovo both before and after the war, who established a family here, never left Kosovo, freely moved around, went to Kosovo institutions, worked in Kosovo, and suddenly, when he wanted to sell his land and had a property dispute, he was reported to have committed a war crime. I believe that two decades or more of silence from the alleged victim or witness in this case indicates that things are, at the very least, not straightforward. I think the court will have a difficult time resolving this issue and making a fair decision, and the verdict is scheduled to be announced in seven days, so we'll see what happens," Vlajic said.

He emphasized that he expected the court to deliver justice.

"And justice in this case, in my deep conviction, can only result in an acquittal because there simply is no evidence for the accusations against this man, not in the least. Furthermore, all the evidence speaks to the contrary. Not only does it not confirm the allegations of the public prosecutor, but it indicates that he did not commit the act," Vlajic said.

During the hearing, Dusko Arsic himself stated that he had faced pressure from two Albanians at the time when he had wanted to transfer the property from his father's name to his.

"They forced me and threatened me to withdraw the request I submitted for my property because, as they said, I would get into trouble. I didn't know I would be accused of a war crime. It seems this is the easiest method in Kosovo – if you can't force someone, accuse them of a war crime," Arsic said today.

Dusko Arsic was arrested on December 8, 2021, at the Jarinje crossing, in the presence of two underage children, after coming to resolve issues regarding usurped property in the village of Matiqan, near Pristina. The prosecution accuses him of committing a war crime in 1999 in the village of Butovac, Kosovo.

Arsic filed a lawsuit for property usurpation on September 20, 2021.