On October 10, 1996, Rexhep Selimi and his cousin Mujë Krasniqi were forced to flee from their homes and sought refuge with the Jashari family, while hiding together from the Serbian regime.

[3] On November 28, 1997, during the funeral of the teacher Halit Geci in Llaushë, Rexhep Selimi, along with Mujë Krasniqi and Daut Haradinaj, made the first public appearance of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

The appearance symbolized the beginning of open armed resistance, playing a crucial role in mobilizing support within the population for Kosovo's independence.

However, on September 27, 1998, the Serbian forces demonstrated their brutality by massacring 26 members of the Deliu family in Abri, showing their frustration, at not being able to break the KLA's resistance.

[5][6] Rexhep Selimi and his cousin Mujë Krasniqi maintained a close relationship until he was killed in the harsh winter of 1998 during a fierce battle on the Pashtrik mountains along with 32 other KLA fighters in an ambush by Serbian forces.

The four defendants ( Selimi, Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, and Jakup Krasniqi) were accused of pursuing a policy of torture and murder against civilians suspected of opposing the UÇK during and after the Kosovo War.