After being released from detention in Serbia, KLA veteran arrives in Kosovo

2026-04-29 11:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A veteran of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) arrived in his homeland early Wednesday after being released from detention in Serbia, where he had been held for about three months for alleged crimes against the civilian population, his lawyer Arianit Koci announced.

"Mit'hat Llozhani arrived in Kosovo around 5:00 AM on Wednesday morning," Koci wrote on Facebook.

Koci emphasized that Llozhani "has gone through a difficult period" and added that "we will provide more details, together with Mit'hat, in the coming days."

Llozhani was arrested on February 5th as soon as he entered Serbia from the Batrovci border crossing on the border with Croatia.

He was taken into custody by Serbian authorities, who said at the time that he was suspected of having undergone training as a member of the KLA of the Dukagjini Operational Zone in 1998 and 1999 "after which he participated in terrorist attacks against members of the Serbian MUP and the Yugoslav army."

But the KLA War Veterans Organization told Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) in February that Llozhani had participated in some training in Albania, but there was no evidence that he had been on the front lines in Kosovo.

The vice president of this veterans' organization, Gazmend Syla, told REL that Llozhani's veteran's card was found in his pocket during a search by Serbian authorities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo (MFA) had requested the commitment of the international community to assist in the release of LLozhani.

Serbia has repeatedly arrested Kosovo citizens for alleged war crimes in Kosovo during the 1998-99 war, and only in 2025 were several such arrests recorded.

Cases of those arrested in Serbia, according to sources in the MFA

Arbnor Spahiu - arrested in June on suspicion of "aggravated murder" in Banjska; released on November 21.

Lulzim Halili - arrested in July, accused of "war crimes"; remains in custody.

Sasha Djorgjevic - arrested in July, on suspicion of "collaboration with the Albanian State Intelligence Service (SHISH), through the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA)"; remains in custody.

Behar Preniqi - arrested in August as a "suspected member of the KLA"; remains in detention.

Hazir Haziri - arrested in September on suspicion of "war crimes"; released in January 2026.

Avni Qenaj - arrested in November for "war crimes"; court in Belgrade gave him one month in detention.

Milan Vukašinovi? was allegedly kidnapped by Serbian gendarmerie in Leposavic - northern Kosovo - on November 1.

On August 14, Serbian authorities announced that they had detained two more people with the initials XE and BE (Xhemajl and Bashkim Emini) at the border crossing between Serbia and Hungary, Horgos, on suspicion that as members of the KLA, they had "committed war crimes against the civilian population." Five days later, they were released. /REL