Vushtrri massacre
| Vushtrri massacre | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Masakra e Vushtrrisë |
| Location | 42°50′07″N 21°01′21″E / 42.8352°N 21.0226°E Studime, Vushtrri, Kosovo |
| Date | 2–3 May 1999 (Central European Time) |
| Target | Kosovo Albanians |
Attack type | Mass killing |
| Deaths | 100–120 |
| Perpetrators | Serbian police and paramilitary forces |
| Motive | Anti-Albanian sentiment, ethnic cleansing |
| Accused | Vlastimir Đorđević, Serbian former police colonel general |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Convictions | Crimes against humanity, including murder and deportation |
The Vushtrri massacre (Albanian: Masakra e Vushtrrisë) was the mass killing of 100 to 120 Kosovo Albanian refugees during the Kosovo War on the 2nd and 3rd of May 1999 near Vushtrri, Kosovo.
Background
A column of about 1,000 refugees were travelling in a convoy of about 100 tractors, who were fleeing fighting between the KLA and Serbian forces east of Vushtrri.[1] Serbian Police and paramilitary forces caught up with the convoy that traveled south. On 2–3 May between Upper Studime and Lower Studime (Albanian: Studime e Epërme dhe Studime e Poshtme) near Vushtrri, Human Rights Watch estimated that around 100 men were killed by Serbian police and paramilitary forces.[2]
ICTY investigator Romeu Ventura said that 120 civilians were murdered on 2 May by Serb forces and buried two days later in a mass grave five miles east of Vushtrri.[1] After the war, ICTY forensic teams discovered 98 bodies in Upper Studime.[2]
Aftermath
The Vushtrri massacre was raised at the trial of Serbian police colonel general Vlastimir Đorđević.[3] The indictment against Đorđević says that some 105 Kosovo Albanians were killed in the massacre near the village of Studime on 2 May 1999.[4] Đorđević was sentenced to 27 years in prison, for his role in the murder of more than 700 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in 1999.[5] The UN tribunal at The Hague found him guilty of five counts of crimes against humanity, including murder and deportation.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b Bruce, Cabell (August 15, 1999). "Serb war criminals seize north Kosovo". The Independent.
- ^ a b "Vucitrn (Vushtrri) Municipality". Under Orders: War Crimes in Kosovo (PDF). Human Rights Watch. October 1, 2001. p. 239. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ "Vlastimir Đorđević Convicted for Crimes in Kosovo". ICTY. February 23, 2011.
- ^ "POLICE CRIMES IN VUCITRN". SENSE Tribunal. January 4, 2009. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ "Case Information Sheet: Vlastimir Đorđević" (PDF). ICTY. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ^ "Djordjevic jailed over Kosovo murders". BBC News. Retrieved November 19, 2025.