Historian Durim Abdullahu has described the trial against former Serbian prison guard Nadica Cepkenoviq as one of the most important documented events in the history of Kosovo in the early part of this century.

In a Facebook post, Abdullahu praised the testimonies of Albanian women who appeared in court on Wednesday against Cepkenoviq, who is accused of torture and war crimes against Albanian female prisoners at the Lipjan Prison during 1998 and 1999, as reported by KosovaPress.

According to him, Zahrije Podrimqaku Subashi, Jehona Krasniqi Morina and Mevlyde Saraqi testified about the violence and torture they experienced, calling for justice and not revenge.

Abdullahu emphasized that the witnesses expressed trust in the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo and in the development of a fair judicial process for the accused.

He particularly highlighted the testimony of Jehona Krasniqi Morina, saying she demonstrated a high level of civic and political awareness, describing her stance as an example of the dignity of a victim facing the person accused of persecution.

“Jehona Krasniqi Morina not only did not lash out at her persecutor, as might almost be naturally expected from the psychology of a victim facing an executioner, but she showed full clarity and political awareness by comparing the prisons of the Serbian regime in Kosovo with Nazi prison camps. A human character and a political activist profile that makes one respectfully admire her,” he wrote.

Historian Abdullahu assessed that this trial represents a confrontation between democratic values and the legacy of repressive policies of the then Serbian regime in Kosovo.

While emphasizing that such cases recall the importance of documenting and addressing war crimes, Abdullahu added that the Albanian liberation war represents an important chapter in the history of the struggles of European peoples for freedom and liberation.

“Nadica Cepkenoviq reminds us that fascist and genocidal political regimes such as that of Milosevic’s Serbia always produce their own Ilse Kochs. Therefore, the liberation war of the Albanians is also such an important chapter in the history of liberation wars and battles for freedom of European peoples,” he concluded.