A media report “Dukagjini” announcing the filing of an indictment by the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo regarding the attack on the Jashari family in March 1998 in Prekaz has become a broad propaganda narrative in several Serbian and Russian media outlets. Using emotional language and political labels, these media outlets have presented the investigation as a “hunt against Serbs,” while describing the March 1998 police operation as a “legitimate anti-terrorist action” against Adem Jashari, whom these media outlets describe as a “terrorist.”
In this way, the initial news of a legal process announced by the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office has been transformed into a political and historical debate, where not only the victims of the Prekaz massacre are questioned, but also the interpretation of the events that are considered one of the key moments of the beginning of the war in Kosovo.
What are the narratives in the Serbian and Russian media?
This approach was promoted by Russian media "RT Balkan", which published the article titled "In Pristina, terrorist means hero: Indictment is being filed for the murder of Adem Jashari". The article claims that the Kosovo authorities are trying to present the event, which this media calls an “anti-terrorist action”, as an attack on civilians, while the announcement of the indictment is described as a “new hunt for Serbs”. “RT Balkan” describes Adem Jashari as a “terrorist”, convicted of terrorism and responsible for the murder of Serbian police officers, also repeating long-standing allegations that he had used family members as “human shields” and that he had killed one of his nephews “out of fear”.
An almost identical narrative was also published by "Sputnik Serbia", with the title "The hunt for Serbs continues: Pristina files indictment for the 'murder' of Adem Jashari". The very use of quotation marks around the word “murder” is significant, as it aims to question the nature of the event and the legitimacy of the investigation. The article presents the legal process not as an attempt to investigate the events of March 1998, but as a continuation of an alleged policy of persecution of Serbs by Kosovo institutions.
The narrative gets even harsher in the Serbian-language tabloid "Inform", which in its title writes: "Albanians do not give up on rewriting history: They once again glorify the terrorist who used children as human shields". This article claims that Kosovo institutions are exercising “repression against Serbs,” that Adem Jashari has used women and children as human shields, while KLA veterans are accused of supporting the “rehabilitation of terrorists.” Thus, the announcement of an indictment becomes an argument to strengthen the political narrative that Kosovo is attempting to rewrite the history of the 1998-1999 war.
The same approach is reflected on the front page of the Serbian-language newspaper "Evening News”, which puts this issue in the main headline: "New indictments are being written: Serbian police are also being prosecuted for the murder of the terrorist!"The newspaper's miscreants continue with the claims that "Pristina has attacked the participants in the 'attack on the Adem Jashari family'" and that she "is trying to present the anti-terrorist operation as a confrontation with civilians"The use of the word “terrorist” in the title is not neutral, but gives the reader a predetermined interpretation of the event, while the wording within the text "Serbian police are following" presents a possible criminal process as a political and ethnic attack on Serbs, not as a legal procedure for investigating the events of the war.
What are the facts?
The claims published by Serbian and Russian media, that the indictment announced by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo constitutes a continuation of a "hunt against Serbs", are not based on verifiable facts. The Special Prosecution has not mentioned any specific ethnicity or community for the announced indictment, but has announced that the case of the attack on the Jashari family is being treated with priority within the framework of investigations into war crimes and individual criminal responsibility. The formulation “The hunt for Serbs continues” is a political and emotional characterization, which does not represent a proven fact, but aims to create the perception of the existence of an organized campaign against Serbs.
Likewise, allegations that Adem Jashari used women and children as “human shields” or that he “killed his nephew out of fear” have not been confirmed by independent international sources. In reports by international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, as well as in the documentation used in the proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), there is no verified finding to support these allegations. On the contrary, the events of 5-7 March 1998 in Prekaz are documented as an operation in which dozens of members of the Jashari family, including women, children and the elderly, were killed. Consequently, the claims spread by some Serbian and Russian media remain unconfirmed and are based mainly on political and propaganda narratives, rather than independently verified evidence.
In March 1998, in Prekaz, Serbian police and military forces launched a large-scale operation against the family compound of Adem Jashari, one of the leading figures of the Albanian armed resistance in Kosovo. The initial attack was followed by a larger intervention, supported by numerous forces deployed from a nearby ammunition factory, transforming the event into a high-scale military operation.
According to the Institute for Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo (ICC), A total of 59 people were killed in the attacks on 5, 6 and 7 March 1998 in Prekaz. The victims included children, women and the elderly, making this one of the deadliest events of that period.
Analyze:
Claims that the indictment for the attack on the Jashari family constitutes a "hunt against Serbs" are not based on facts, as the Special Prosecution has only announced that the case is being treated as an investigation for war crimes and individual responsibility.
Likewise, the claims that Adem Jashari used family members as "human shields" or that he "killed one of his nephews" have not been confirmed by any independent international report or court decision.
These claims are mostly repeated in political and propaganda narratives by Serbian and Russian media, without verified evidence to support them.
Therefore, based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses these claims as "Disinformation".
Reasoning:
"Disinformation" is defined as information content that contains a "mix" of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful attributes, and that is created and/or distributed with the deliberate intention of causing harm. The motive behind the producers/distributors of disinformation content lies in achieving a political, financial, psychological or social goal.