Name: The Izbicë massacre
Start: 1999-03-28
Location: Izbicë

The Izbicë massacre

On 28 March 1999, after thousands of displaced people had gathered in a field at Izbicë, men were separated from women and children, divided into groups and shot; several elderly people were also killed in the field. Villagers buried and filmed the dead.

Judicially establishedThe 1998–1999 warCrimesDisplacement

Editorial status: Awaiting verificationDrafted from the cited sources; not yet fully reviewed by the editors.

Key facts

Date: 28 March 1999
Place: Izbicë
Coordinates: Approximate location
Sources: 4
Evidence status: Evidence status: Judicially established. Established in a final court judgment. It covers only what the court found, not every later interpretation.

Content warning

This material describes violence, death or loss. Read it when you are ready; you can close it at any time.

The Milutinović et al. judgment found that the execution of at least 93 people was carried out by MUP forces, specifically the PJP; the Đorđević judgment found no fewer than 132 killed by Serbian forces [1] [2]. Villagers who buried the dead counted 146–166 bodies [3].

The defence challenged the location and civilian status of the victims; the Chamber accepted the survivors' evidence but noted that some KLA members were also buried at the site. The bodies were later removed from the graves; remains of some victims were found in Serbia [4].

How do we know this?

Two ICTY judgments found that at least 93 and no fewer than 132 people, respectively, were killed in Izbicë on 28 March 1999 by Serbian forces.
Evidence status: Judicially established. Established in a final court judgment. It covers only what the court found, not every later interpretation.Last reviewed: 16 September 2026
Villagers who buried the dead counted 146–166 bodies; the defence disputed the civilian status of some victims.

Sources

Last reviewed: 16 September 2026

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