Kosovo Court Sentences Ethnic Serbs for Killing Beloved Moderate Leader

A Kosovo court sentenced four ethnic Serbs to four to 10 years imprisonment for the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, a moderate Serb leader. The defendants, involved in organized crime, targeted Ivanovic due to his moderate political stance. Five other suspects remain at large.

A Kosovo court on Friday sentenced four ethnic Serbs to prison terms ranging from four to 10 years for the assassination of moderate Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic.

The court in Pristina determined that the defendants were part of an organized crime network that targeted Ivanovic due to his moderate politics.

The verdict was delivered in the absence of the defendants, with five additional suspects still at large. The group had reportedly operated in northern Kosovo, influencing local police and authorities since 2011.

Ivanovic, 64, was tragically shot outside his party's office in Mitrovica, a Serb-dominated area, in January 2018. Renowned as a key politician, he was critical of Serbian influence over Kosovo's Serb minority.

Previously convicted of war crimes related to the 1998-99 conflict, Ivanovic's initial conviction was overturned, and a retrial was in progress at the time of his death.

Kosovo announced its independence from Serbia in 2008, a status not recognized by the Serbian government.

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