19 December 2012

A mixed panel of two EULEX judges and three local judges presided over by a EULEX judge at the Supreme Court rejected the second appeal by the defence council in a murder case, related to a blood feud. It confirmed in its entirety the previous verdicts in the case that sentenced the defendant to twenty-five years imprisonment. This is a final judgment. No appeal is possible.

The case relates to an incident in 2004 in a village of Gjakovë/Ðakovica municipality when two people were shot dead. The incident occurred in revenge for another murder committed in 2000. In August 2005, the District Public Prosecutor in Pejë/Peć filed an indictment charging D.N. with two counts of murder. The indictment was confirmed in October 2008. In June 2009 D.N. was found guilty by the District Court of Pejë/Peć of two criminal offences of murder committed out of blood feud and in a brutal or insidious manner.

Deciding on appeals filed on behalf of the defendant and on behalf of the injured party, the Supreme Court annulled this judgment and returned the case to the court of first instance for retrial. On 15 October 2010, the District Court of Pejë/Peć found the defendant D.N. guilty of two criminal offences of murder committed out of blood feud and in a brutal or insidious manner in violation and sentenced him to twenty-five years of imprisonment. In August 2012 the defence council, appealed this judgment. This appeal has now been rejected.

The case was prosecuted by a local prosecutor from District Prosecution.