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By:
Ardit Kika
- April 17, 2025 09:54 am
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Statements of lawyers and defendants
(Updated 11:55) - Meanwhile, the lawyer for the defendant Blagoje Spasojevic, Lubomir Pantovic, said that the indictment has major shortcomings and factual errors.
"At first glance, it seems that this indictment is qualitative, but I claim that it is not and I believe that this indictment with this content should not have come to the main examination phase, but this happened and we are where we are... all of us who deal with criminal proceedings know that the charges are individual, that everyone has personal responsibility for what they have done and for the criminal offense they have committed, but what the defendant has done must be precise, clear and described in the indictment," he emphasized.
The accused Spasojevic has denied the charges.
"I have not killed anyone, I have not hurt anyone. Nor did I intend to separate the northern part of Kosovo from Kosovo," he said.
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Banjska, an organized operation
Miloš Delević, lawyer for Vladimir Tolic, said that no evidence links his client to the attack.
"There is no answer in the indictment as to who did it (the murder of Afrim Bunjaku)... as the defense attorney of Vladimir Toliq, I consider that at the end of this criminal process there was no significant role in the events as the Special Prosecution claims. There is no evidence linking the defendant Vladimir Toliq to the murder of Afrim Bunjaku. You will also conclude that Vladimir Toliq was not aware of any well-thought-out plan for the secession of the northern part. I ask the Special Prosecution to clarify the actions of the defendant Toliq and amend the indictment, in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure," said Delevic.
Defendant Toliq said he did not know what the consequences would be for participating in the attack in Banjska. He thanked the UCCK for saving his life after he was seriously injured.
"I was in Banjska. It is clear. But the reasons, my motives for my participation there differ greatly from those in the indictment... I did not know what the consequences would be... Everyone knows that I was seriously injured and that after a few days I was treated at the UCCK... I want to thank Dr. Skender Ukaj and his team for doing their professional job and saving my life... I, Vladimir Toliq, did not shoot anyone (with a firearm) on September 24, 2023 and did not have access to explosives and I say this responsibly," he said before the Court.
Jovana Filipović, Dušan Maksimović's lawyer, has denied that her client is connected to the attack in Banjska.
"No evidence proves that Dushani is connected to this incident, except that he was born in Banjska, and this is not a criminal offense," she said.
The next sessions were scheduled for June 9, 11, 12 and 13.
Lawyers for injured police officers demand life imprisonment for those accused of the attack in Banjska
(Updated 11:10) - Naim Rudari, the lawyer of the injured police officer, Alban Rashiti, said that the attack in Banjska was an attack on the police and the state of Kosovo. He said that he joins the criminal prosecution. According to him, only a part of the evidence was presented in the opening statement and asked the court to sentence the defendants to life imprisonment.
Arianit Koci, the lawyer for the Bunjaku family, also requested life imprisonment for the defendants.
"This is not a criminal matter, but it is also a state matter because our constitution was violated with weapons. I demand that the accused be sentenced to life imprisonment, which is the minimum that Afrim Bunjaku's wife and children deserve," said Koci.
Injured police officers Çlirim Shaqiri, Mirsad Kryeziu, and Sedat Dushi were present in the courtroom. They expressed their sadness over the loss of their colleague.
The Basic Court in Pristina has issued an international arrest warrant against 41 other defendants. The arrest warrant was issued in order to ensure the presence of the defendants in the proceedings, as most of them, including Milan Radoicic – who claimed responsibility for organizing the attack – are on the run. The prosecution also accuses the company "RAD DOO" of money laundering, according to the indictment.
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Everything that happened today - the sentencing of the "Banjska" terrorists, the reaction of the Bunjaku family and the expectations of the institutions
(Updated 10:48) - The prosecution is presenting videos as evidence from drones confiscated from the group that attacked Banjska. They show a joint meeting between the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, the organizer of the Banjska attack, Milan Radoićić, and the former director of the Security and Intelligence Agency (BIA), Aleksandar Vulin. According to the prosecution, the plan for the attack on Banjska was initiated at this meeting.
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Prosecutor: Banjska's group had connections to Serbian state structures
(Updated 10:13) - The court decided to exclude investigating police officer Jeton Jetullahu from the courtroom after the defense's complaint. Jetullahu was sitting close to the prosecutor and the defense complained about this. The court found that he could be proposed as a witness and therefore should leave the courtroom.
After this, special prosecutor Naim Abazi took the floor, stating that the attack was aimed at violating the constitutional order of Kosovo. He said that the group had connections to Serbian state structures.
"It was a clearly planned attack, long-term and with a clear aim of violating the constitutional order of Kosovo and creating the possibility of secession of municipalities in northern Kosovo. The group was organized and armed with clear connections to the state structures of Serbia. This case is not simply criminal, but challenges the essence of the constitutional order, interethnic coexistence," he said.
The three defendants also pleaded not guilty in this hearing.
Trial begins for three accused in Banjska attack
- 09:54 - Three of the 45 defendants in the terrorist attack in Banjska were brought before the Basic Court in Pristina on Thursday. Blagoje Spasojevic, Vladimir Tolic and Dusan Maksimovic are accused of committing a terrorist act in the attack in Banjska on September 24, 2023, which killed Kosovo police officer Afrim Bunjaku.
The interests of the injured parties are also being represented in the judicial review session, with most of the injured parties present either in person or through lawyers. The injured parties in this case are Alban Rashiti, Çlirim Shaqiri, Mirsad Kryeziu, Sedat Dushi, Lumnije Bunjaku, Jetlum Bunjaku.
42 defendants, including Milan Radoicic, who publicly admitted to leading the attack in Banjska, are at large. Among the defendants is also a legal entity.
At the initial hearing held on October 9, 2024, the three defendants pleaded not guilty.
The Special Prosecution of Kosovo on September 11, 2024 filed an indictment against Milan Radoičić and 44 others for the terrorist attack of September 24, 2023 in Banjska, Zvečan. The defendants are charged with attempting, through the use of violence with heavy weapons, to separate the northern part of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo and annex it to the Republic of Serbia, in which case, as a result of the violence used, police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed and the lives of other police officers and the civilian population were endangered.
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Two accused of "Banjska" sentenced to life imprisonment, one to 30 years
Meanwhile, the leader of this structured terrorist group, Milan Radoićić, is accused of having indirectly obtained income from 2017 until September 24, 2023, and having converted this money into real estate and movable property, where he also transferred part of the real estate to third parties, with the aim of hiding or disguising the source of the wealth.
The 45 accused 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" as well as "Money laundering".
