Court extends detention of espionage suspect

2025-11-10 14:27:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Basic Court in Pristina has extended the detention of Fatmir Sheholli, who is suspected of espionage against the state, for another two months.

Mirlinda Gashi, a spokeswoman for this court, told Radio Free Europe on Monday that the judge accepted the prosecutors' request to keep Sheholli in custody while authorities conduct investigations against him.

Sheholli was arrested in early October in Pristina and, so far, the prosecution has not provided many details about him or who he is suspected of spying for.

However, on the day of his arrest, the acting Interior Minister, Xhelal Sveçla, hinted that he may have been spying for Serbia.

"We remain committed to defending our country from all circles that do not hesitate to endanger it for any of their own gains. The time of Serbia's spies in Kosovo is over," Sveçla wrote on Facebook after his arrest in October.

Sveçla had said that Sheholli enjoyed "unlimited space" in Kosovo's media, and that he had "collaborated with actors who work and act every day to undermine our Republic and its progress."

Recently, authorities in Kosovo have arrested, charged, and tried Serbs and Albanians on suspicion of spying for Serbia's intelligence services.

In June, a court in Pristina sentenced Aleksandar Vllajic to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of being involved in espionage as a member of the Serbian Intelligence and Security Agency (BIA).

Two other suspects, Bedri Shabani and Muharrem Qerimi, are being tried for espionage for Serbia at the Basic Court in Pristina.

They have pleaded not guilty to charges that they had provided information to the Serbian BIA about several security institutions in Kosovo, the KLA and the Recak massacre.

In another case, Serbian woman Jelena Djukanovic is also on trial, accused of spying for Serbian intelligence. She has denied the charges.

In Kosovo, espionage is defined as the secret activities of collecting, transmitting, or distributing sensitive information to another state, organization, or group.

According to the Criminal Code of Kosovo, espionage is considered a serious crime and is punishable by at least five years in prison, if the suspect is found guilty.

Experts have said that espionage is a serious threat to Kosovo's security, and the recent arrests only highlight the ongoing danger.

According to them, this activity not only destabilizes the country internally, but also damages its international standing.

Former Chief Inspector of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA), Burim Ramadani, considers espionage as one of the main threats to national security in the country. /REL