Hysri Selimi at the Pristina Basic Court. Photo: BIRN,
The Pristina Basic Court sentenced Hysri Selimi on Monday to six years’ imprisonment for espionage for feeding information on religious radicalisation and former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army to Serbia’s intelligence agency, BIA.
Selimi pleaded not guilty last September for working for BIA although he confirmed during the trial that he had met with BIA agents, claiming that he was actually a double agent.
According to the prosecution, Selimi was paid to collect and provide information to Serbian intelligence about religious radicalism in Kosovo, the number of people who participated in ISIS and returnees to Kosovo from the wars in Syria.
The indictment alleged that Selimi was recruited by BIA in November 2009 and remained active until his arrest in May 2025. He was provided with three smartphones, financial resources and promised a house as compensation for his work.
The indictment also stated that he went to Syria in 2015 to join the so-called Islamic State with a mission from Serbian intelligence to collect data on Kosovo Albanians in Syria.
Selimi continued his espionage activities after his return from Syria when he was repatriated to Kosovo in 2022, it was alleged. According to the prosecution, Selimi was paid a monthly fee of 700 euros.
Monday’s verdict can be appealed.
In a separate trial in 2022, Pristina Basic Court in 2022 found Selimi guilty of terrorism charges and sentenced him to four years and eight months in prison.
The prosecution claims that after he finished his sentence for terrorism, he returned to work for BIA.
Selimi also provided information to BIA regarding the activities of former KLA members and murders during the 1998-99 Kosovo war, according to the indictment.
This is the fourth espionage sentence issued by the Pristina Basic Court since June 2025.
In May, the court sentenced Kosovo Police lieutenant Bojan Jevtic to six years’ imprisonment for espionage. Jevtic was found guilty of leaking information about the Kosovo police to BIA.
In April, the court sentenced Jelena Djukanovic, an employee of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, to six years’ imprisonment for spying for Serbia by providing internal OSCE information related to the situation mainly in the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo.
In June 2025, the court sentenced Aleksandar Vlajic to five years’ imprisonment for espionage as BIA’s resident agent.
Read the full article at Balkan Insight (BIRN) →📄Source document: Pristina Basic Court
2 reports
Balkan Insight (BIRN)IndependentCenter6 days agoA Kosovo court has sentenced Hysri Selimi to six years in prison for espionage, finding him guilty of providing information on religious radicalization and former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army to Serbia's intelligence agency, BIA. Selimi claimed he was a double agent but did not contest meeting with BIA agents. Prosecutors allege he was recruited by BIA in 2009, traveled to Syria in 2015 under BIA's mission, and continued espionage after returning to Kosovo in 2022. The sentence is appealable.
Bias read (Center): The article presents facts from the court case without overtly favoring either side. It includes details from both the prosecution's allegations and Selimi's defense, maintaining neutrality in tone and framing. No loaded language or biased sourcing is evident.
Official sources cited
- government Pristina Basic Court
N1 SrbijaIndependentCenter6 days agoHisri Seljimi was sentenced to six years in prison by the Basic Court in Pristina for alleged espionage in favor of the Serbian Security-Informative Agency (BIA). He had previously been convicted of four years in prison for membership in the Islamic State (ISIS). The court also extended his detention. At his first hearing on September 23, 2025, Seljimi claimed he was not guilty. According to the indictment filed by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo on September 9, 2025, Seljimi is accused of continuously assisting BIA from November 2009 until his arrest on May 6, 2025. It is alleged that he,按照
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a legal proceeding with no overt ideological framing. It presents facts from an official source (court decision and indictment) without apparent bias toward any political side.
Official sources cited
- government Indictment by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo
Serbia