Editing Račak massacre (section)

==Aftermath==
On June 18, 2001, a court in [[Pristina]] sentenced Zoran Stojanović, a 32-year-old police officer, to 15 years' imprisonment for murder and attempted murder in Račak. Stojanović, a Kosovo Serb, was convicted by a joint UN-Kosovo Albanian panel of judges (two United Nations magistrates and one ethnic Albanian).<ref>{{cite news|title=Serb Guilty In Deaths Of 45|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2001-06-19}}</ref> Stojanović's trial was highly controversial. It was speedy, one of the first trials by a hastily organized new court. Stojanović was alleged to have killed one man and wounded two more by firing one bullet. During the trial, according to one UN legal officer, both the international judges and the Albanian judge had considered dismissing the case, but did not do so, allegedly for political reasons. During the trial, some witnesses allegedly presented testimonies that contradicted the forensic evidence.<ref name="Wood">{{Cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/jun/20/warcrimes.balkans | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Amnesty and UN staff accuse Kosovo war crimes tribunal of ethnic bias | date=20 June 2001 | access-date=22 May 2010 | first=Nicholas | last=Wood}}</ref>

The reconstruction of events in Račak for the trial was prevented by two men, who chased off court officials, telling them, "we don't want any [[Serbs]] in our village." The second reconstruction was prevented by an angry mob of Albanians. A subsequent reconstruction was held without the presence of either the defendant or his lawyer. The prosecutor, Tome Gashe, told the court during the trial that unless Stojanović were found guilty, the people would "take justice in their own hands". The trial and sentencing of Stojanović was criticised by the [[United Nations]] and [[Amnesty International]].<ref name="Wood"/>

Zoran Stojanović was pardoned in 2007 and released from custody. In late 2009, President of Serbia [[Boris Tadić]] pardoned Zoran Stojanović, declaring that the trial was unjust, which opened the question as to whether he had jurisdiction because Stojanović was sentenced by an international High court.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pressonline.rs/sr/vesti/vesti_dana/story/77430/Tadi%C4%87+pomilovao+Zorana+Stanojevi%C4%87a%2C+koji+je+u+Pri%C5%A1tini+osu%C4%91en+na+15+godina.html |title=Press Online :: Vesti dana - politika, skupstina, Srbija, Tadić, vlada, premijer :: Tadić pomilovao Zorana Stanojevića, koji je u Prištini osuđen na 15 godina |publisher=Pressonline.rs |date=2009-08-25 |access-date=2013-02-05}}</ref>

===Denial of the massacre===
Kosovo Serb politician [[Ivan Todosijević]] denied the massacre took place and said that the story was made up by "Albanian terrorists". In 2019, he was convicted of incitement to ethnic, racial, or religious intolerance and was sentenced to two years in prison by a court in Pristina for making the claims. The Serbian president, [[Aleksandar Vučić]], supported Todosijevic, claiming that the massacre was indeed made up.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2019/12/05/kosovo-serb-mp-convicted-of-inciting-ethnic-hatred/ |title=Kosovo Serb MP Convicted of Inciting Ethnic Hatred |publisher=balkaninsight.com/ |date=2019-12-05 |access-date=2019-12-07}}</ref> This was met with stark reaction from Kosovo Albanian politicians and the civil society. The president of Kosovo, [[Hashim Thaçi]], said that peace in the Balkans would only be established when Serbia expressed shame, and not pride, when discussing war crimes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://telegrafi.com/thaci-merkel-foli-turp-per-krimet-ne-auschwitz-udheheqesit-serbe-flasin-krenari-per-krimet-e-millosheviqit/ |title=Thaçi: Merkel spoke with shame about the crimes at Auschwitz, Serbian leaders speak with pride about the crimes of Milosevic |publisher=telegrafi.com/ |date=2019-12-07 |access-date=2019-12-07}}</ref> There were reactions by the former prime minister of Kosovo [[Ramush Haradinaj]], former Kosovar minister of foreign affairs [[Behgjet Pacolli]], and the European Commission. The European Commission stated that “Denial and revisionism are contrary to the values of the European Union and are contrary to the project of integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union. Sentencing has to be proportionate and take into account all elements of the case”.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gazetaexpress.com/eu-reacts-to-serbian-president-denial-of-kosovo-massacre/ |title=Thaçi: EU reacts to Serbian President denial of Kosovo massacre |publisher=gazetaexpress.com/ |date=2019-12-06 |access-date=2019-12-07}}</ref>

In October 2022, Todosijević's conviction was upheld at his retrial.<ref>[https://balkaninsight.com/2022/10/19/kosovo-serb-ex-minister-convicted-of-inciting-hatred-after-retrial/ Perparim Isufi and Laurant Berisha, "Kosovo Serb Ex-Minister Convicted of Inciting Hatred After Retrial"], ''Balkan Insight'', 19 October 2022, accessed 7 August 2023.</ref> Kosovo's Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in March 2023, but the Supreme Court of Kosovo overturned it in July 2023, acquitting Todosijević of inciting hate.<ref>[https://balkaninsight.com/2023/07/12/kosovo-supreme-court-clears-serb-ex-minister-of-inciting-hate/ Perparim Isufi, "Kosovo Supreme Court Clears Serb Ex-Minister of Inciting Hate"], ''Balkan Insight'', 12 July 2023, accessed 7 August 2023.</ref>