Marinkovic: There was no massacre in Racak, Pristina has no material evidence

Former investigative judge from Pristina, Danica Marinkovic, who led the investigation into the events in Racak, stated that she is skeptical of the investigation being conducted by Kosovo's Special Prosecutor’s Office regarding the January 1999 events in Racak. She is adamant that no massacre of Albanian civilians occurred at that time and claims that this was also established at the Hague Tribunal.

Commenting on the announcement that an indictment might be filed by the end of the year for Racak and also for the events surrounding the Dubrava prison, Marinkovic argues that everything about the Racak case has already been clarified.

“They have no material evidence for Racak, and if they do issue an indictment, it will have no basis. We were the ones who collected the material evidence related to the events in Racak, I did, as the investigating judge, during the course of the investigation: from the crime scene inspection, the weapons found, trenches, uniforms, their command post... The fact is, and everyone knows it, that Racak was a major stronghold of terrorists. Even their commanders who testified at the Hague Tribunal spoke about their organization and involvement – about attacks on civilians, and the killing of police officers,” Marinkovic told Kosovo Online.

On January 15, 1999, Serbian security forces carried out an anti-terrorist operation in the village of Racak, near Stimlje. This action later served as the pretext for NATO’s bombing of the FRY on March 24, after the then-head of the OSCE Verification Mission reported that it was a massacre of Albanian civilians.

Marinkovic, who was the investigating judge at the time, was present in the village. She recalls that members of the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) used heavy gunfire for three days to prevent the investigative team from entering the village.

“The bodies we found in the mosque on January 18, 1999, after autopsies were conducted as part of the investigation, were all determined to have died from injuries inflicted by firearms and handheld weapons. So, there was no evidence of a massacre of innocent civilians, as falsely claimed by the American spy Walker. There is no such evidence, then or now. So, the massacre in Racak did not happen,” Marinkovic stated firmly.

Asked why the Pristina Prosecutor’s Office is pursuing the case 26 years later if there is no evidence, Marinkovic said it is an attempt to support the narrative of “Serbian crimes against Albanian civilians.”

“They can’t get over the fact that their staged scenario failed because we entered Racak before they could. Even though they tried to stop us and fired at us for three days, we succeeded, and we found material evidence showing there was no massacre, but that KLA members were killed in an anti-terrorist action carried out by Serbian police,” Marinkovic believes.

She adds that this was also established during the trial of a group of Serbian military and police officers and politicians at the Hague Tribunal.

Marinkovic herself testified in The Hague regarding the case and claims that the evidence presented forced the Hague prosecutor to drop that part of the indictment.

“Both the court and the prosecution realized there were no grounds to indict anyone,” she emphasized.

Asked whether the current investigation and possible trial outcome could reveal the truth about what happened in January 1999, Marinkovic was skeptical.

“They say they are collecting evidence, that they have already gathered some witnesses… But it is all questionable. I don’t believe any of it. Whatever they initiate will be improvised, false, fabricated, just like before. Every criminal case brought or handled by the so-called Republic of Kosovo’s authorities has been staged. Serbs have been convicted without any grounds, based on witnesses who gave false testimony. It is sad, shameful, and unprofessional. I am disappointed in the judiciary in Pristina, that judges and prosecutors allow themselves to disregard the law and convict the innocent with harsh sentences for things that never happened,” Marinkovic said.