In Pristina, the hearings on the terrorist attack in Banjska continued behind closed doors. Although behind closed doors, the media in Kosovo managed to present the brief testimony of Veljo Ilic, who also presented his health condition in his testimony. The special prosecutor, Naim Abazi, requested that the testimony of this witness be closed, since, as he emphasized, it includes sensitive information, including that of national security.
"This hearing of the witness should be closed to the public because the testimony of this witness is sensitive, which includes information on national security, parallel structures in the north of the country, and includes characters who were involved in the serious incident in the village of Banjska, which had serious constitutional consequences. Since the testimony of this witness is mainly related to recruitment, organization, payments and contacts with suspected illegal structures, it also includes elements that could lead to the identification of other persons involved in this illegal activity, moreover, there is a real risk to the safety of the witness if this testimony is given in the presence of the media and the public," said the special prosecutor, writes A2.
The presiding judge, Judge Arben Hoti, then announced that they had approved the special prosecutor's request.
"After the prosecution's proposal and receiving the opinion, the panel of judges makes this decision: the request of the Special Prosecution is approved. Therefore, the court session is moved to a closed court session for the legal conditions that are mentioned in the mentioned article", he said.
Previously, the lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic opposed this request: "This explanation of the prosecution has not convinced me that without the exclusion of the public, the identity or safety of the witness will be jeopardized".
Meanwhile, witness Veljo Ilic said he feels stressed: "My situation is that I have been taking medication for 25 years and I can't stay on it until the end because it is very stressful for me."
So far, several testimonies have been provided in this case by police officials regarding this terrorist attack.
The Kosovo Special Prosecution Office on September 11, 2024, filed an indictment against Milan Radoićić and 44 others for the terrorist attack of September 24, 2023 in Banjska i Zvečan, where police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed. They are charged with the criminal offenses of committing a terrorist offense, serious offenses against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo, facilitating and financing the commission of terrorism, and money laundering. (A2 Televizion)
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