The Court of Appeals of Kosovo has rejected as unfounded the appeals of the defense attorneys of the accused J.V., lawyers F.L. and D.M., as well as the appeals of the defense attorneys of the accused N.V., lawyers K.K. and Sh.P., while upholding the judgment of the Basic Court in Pristina, PKR.nr.533/2022, dated 28.05.2025.
The Basic Court in Pristina – Department for Serious Crimes, with judgment PKR.nr.533/2022 dated 28.05.2025, found the accused J.V. and N.V. guilty of criminal offenses committed in co-perpetration, namely: Aggravated Murder under Article 173 paragraph 1 points 1.6 and 1.4 in conjunction with Article 31 of the Criminal Code of Kosovo, and Desecration of Graves or Corpses under Article 413 paragraph 2 in conjunction with Article 31 of the Criminal Code of Kosovo. They were sentenced to life imprisonment, and the time each spent in pre-trial detention was credited toward their sentences.
The panel of judges assessed that the judgment of the first instance court was not affected by essential violations of criminal procedure provisions as provided under Article 384 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which this court is obliged to review. It further concluded that the first instance court provided clear and comprehensive reasoning, properly explaining which facts were considered proven in this criminal case, regarding the offenses attributed to the accused. It also presented the accuracy of the evidence from the case file and gave clear explanations regarding the place, time, and manner in which the criminal offense was committed, as well as how the offense occurred, all of which were established through personal and material evidence.
Regarding the appellate claims alleging violations of criminal law, the Court of Appeals found that the first instance court fully and correctly established the existence of each criminal offense, having assessed all evidence, both personal and material. Therefore, the panel concluded that the first instance court correctly and fully determined the factual situation when it found the accused guilty, as there were no circumstances excluding criminal liability or prosecution.
By evaluating all the circumstances described in this judgment, the panel is convinced that the imposed sentence of life imprisonment, as stated in the operative part of the judgment, will achieve its purpose: to prevent the perpetrators from committing criminal offenses in the future, to contribute to their rehabilitation, to deter others from committing criminal offenses, to provide compensation to victims or the community for losses or damages caused by criminal acts, and to express society’s condemnation of the offense, strengthen moral standards, and reinforce the obligation to respect the law, as provided in Article 38 of the Criminal Code.
