The trial against three of the 45 defendants for terrorism and serious criminal offenses in the "Banjska" case – where a Kosovo Police sergeant was killed in September 2023 – will continue today with the second session at the Basic Court of Pristina.
In the first hearing held in April in the case of the attack on this village in northern Kosovo, the three defendants, Vladimir Tolic, Blagoje Spasojevic and Dusan Maksimovic, pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism, financing terrorism and serious criminal offenses.
During that hearing, the lawyer for the family of murdered sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, Arianit Koci, requested life imprisonment for the accused.
The three defendants were arrested after the attack in Banjska, Zvečan, in September 2023, when an armed group of Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police and killed Bunjak.
In the ensuing firefight, three more attackers were killed.
Responsibility for the armed attack was claimed by Milan Radoićić, former vice-president of the Serbian List – the largest Serb party in Kosovo that enjoys the support of official Belgrade.
For Radoicic and the 41 other defendants in this case, who are at large, prosecutors had requested a trial in absentia, but the Basic Court rejected their request as "unfounded."
The forty-two suspects are accused of terrorism, serious offenses against the constitutional order and security of Kosovo, while Radoićić is also accused of facilitating and financing the commission of terrorism, as well as money laundering.
The court stressed in April that their trial should continue after their arrest and extradition to Kosovo.
In the first hearing in April, after the three defendants pleaded guilty, special prosecutor Naim Abazi said that the videos would prove that the attack was pre-planned and that the group was "well-organized."
During the screening of videos taken by drones on the day of the attack, Abazi said that the homes of citizens in that area were also damaged by the attack.
The three defendants denied the charges and claimed that they did not intend to kill anyone, much less unite northern Kosovo with Serbia, as the indictment states.
Who are the defendants?
The indictment names 45 people:
Milan Radoicic, Blagoje Spasojevic, Vladimir Tolic, Dusan Maksimovic, Vladimir Radivojevic, Uglesa Jaredic, Milorad Jevtic, Vlastimir Andric, Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Lazar Smigic, Velko Djordjevic, Vladimir Vucetic, Stefan Jovanovic, Milovan Krstovic, Uros Milic, Trajko Vasic, Danilo Vasic, Vukasin Jaredic, Sasha Peric, Nemanja Stankovic, Momcilo Vuckovic, Stefan Radojkovic, Marjan Radojevic, Marko Arsic, Zarko Cvetkovic, Krsto Damjanovic, Stefan Milosavljevic, Marko Savic, Aleksandar Jevremovic, Rados Gvozdic, Ivan Milic, Gojko Zubac, Nemanja Radivojevic, Radak Adzic, Milos Millenkovic, Gjorge Ballovic, Danijel Djukic, Danilo Virijevic, Aleksandar Tanasković, Milosh Kragović, Milan Nedelković, Nikolla Illić, Vladan Illić, RAD DOO and Radulle Steviq.
What does the indictment for the “Banjska” case contain?
The Kosovo Special Prosecution Office, among other things, charges the defendants in the Banjska case with terrorist acts and acts against the constitutional order and security of Kosovo.
The prosecutor in the case, Naim Abazi, previously stated that the defendants had various roles within the criminal group, "from organizing and directing terrorist activities, to financing and laundering money."
The indictment states that this group, through the use of violence with heavy weapons, attempted to "separate the northern part of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo, namely the municipalities inhabited by a Serb majority, and to annex this part of the territory to the Republic of Serbia."
Milan Radoićić has been identified as the leader of this group, who is said to have played an important role in coordinating the attack and criminal activities.
Radoicic is blacklisted by the United States and the United Kingdom for links to international organized crime and corruption.
In Kosovo, he is also linked to the murder of a Serbian opposition politician, as well as the intimidation of witnesses in a trial over several illegal constructions.
In the indictment, the Prosecution cites 34 files of evidence, including video recordings, analyses of electronic devices, various responses from Luxembourg, Bosnia and Herzegovina, banks and various institutions, witness statements, etc.
Kosovo authorities describe the attack in Banjska as a terrorist act and accuse Serbia of being behind it.
On the other hand, Serbia has denied any involvement in the attack in Banjska, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has emphasized that for Belgrade this attack is not terrorist, but that it is being investigated.
The international community has strongly condemned the attack in Banjska and has demanded that those responsible be brought to justice./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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