Today, a Prishtina court found Zivojin Nesić guilty of committing acts of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo. This marks the second conviction for such a crime in more than two decades after the conflict.
Nesić was arrested in North Mitrovica, where he lived during and after the war. His conviction came after the testimony of eyewitness, as court records show, and the survivor was referred by Mrs. Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman, an advocate of war rape survivors. The Kosovo NGO KRCT – Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims that works with wartime survivors of sexual violence.
The indictment coincides with the recent release of The Strongest Link: An Oral History of Wartime Rape Survivors in Kosovo (Oxford University Press, 2025) by Anna Di Lellio and Garentina Kraja. The book features stories of 20 women who survived weaponized rape during the Kosovo War (1998–1999). Through personal narratives, the book highlights their experiences of terror, resilience, and bravery amid ethnic cleansing and state repression.
Co-author Anna Di Lellio, Adjunct Professor in the Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) program at New York University, is also a co-founder of the @oralhistorykosovo
Garentina Kraja is an indepedent researcher and consultant, a former Political Adviser to the President of Kosova.