Trial in the Banjska case; Maksimovic: It turns out anyone who had a camouflage jacket or a Sajkaca is guilty

With the presentation of Dusan Maksimovic’s defense, the trial before the Special Department of the Basic Court in Pristina continued today in the case conducted against Maksimovic, Vladimir Tolic, and Blagoje Spasojevic. Maksimovic pointed out that the prosecution presents people under false names merely to link him to the events in Banjska, and, commenting on photographs submitted as evidence, stated that it appears anyone who had a camouflage jacket, a sajkaca, or anything similar is considered guilty.

Maksimovic emphasized that he stands by his statement given to the Kosovo Special Prosecution and that he would only clarify the part concerning the uniform shown in the photograph included in the indictment.

“In response to the prosecution’s question as to how I obtained the uniform, where it came from, and how I was engaged, I answered. However, when I reviewed the record, I noticed that part of my answer regarding engagement was missing. I was not engaged in anything; the photo was taken in my home. I took it for fun because it was the first time I had seen and owned such a uniform. Had I had it earlier, it certainly would not have been interesting for me to take a photo,” Maksimovic said.

He added that the photo was taken in December 2022 and that he had taken the uniform to use it for hunting.

“As I told the prosecution, Banjska is a small place surrounded by hills, and I have spent my free time for years hunting and being in nature,” he said, adding that he is an active hunter.

Speaking about the photograph of the uniform found on his phone, Maksimovic stated that he had tried on the uniform and taken photos when he bought it.

“I tried it on like any new item you buy. My seven-year-old niece was also there. She tried it on and took pictures as well. If it were a uniform as it is being presented here, would I have let a child try it on? As we have seen, there are no weapons there. I claim that this uniform is not even similar to the one used in the attack in Banjska,” said Maksimovic.

The Uniform Has No Connection to Banjska

Explaining how he obtained the uniform, he stated that messages exist on his Facebook in which he contacted groups selling such uniforms and inquired about how to order them.

“I received this uniform as a gift. I wanted to buy it, but a friend who does paintball gave it to me. I wore it only that one time and never again. My house was flooded on January 18 or 19, which is confirmed by photos on my phone. I lost everything in five minutes; I was literally left on the street. All my belongings were submerged, including this uniform. That happened a month after the photo was taken,” he said.

He added that shortly afterward he moved with his mother and sisters to Zvecan.

“I don’t know where lawyer Rudari got such a claim and information that the uniform was found in my room. I know it was submerged. When I was cleaning the house from mud and sludge, I threw away the soaked furniture, and I know I threw away this uniform as well, so it certainly could not have been found there,” Maksimovic said.

He added that the uniform has no connection whatsoever with the events in Banjska.

Hunting Photos Used as Prosecution Evidence

As he stated, most of the photographs used by the prosecution against him were posted on Instagram.

“I certainly would not post photos related to terrorism on Instagram. Most of them were taken on Christmas Eve, when we go to the village to collect the badnjak. It is tradition to wear a sajkaca… some national symbol, whatever one has. The date also confirms that it was January 6,” Maksimovic said.

When asked by his lawyer whether he had also posted hunting photos on Instagram, he confirmed, adding that the prosecution is using those photos against him and charging him with a criminal offense.

“It turns out that anyone who had a camouflage jacket, a sajkaca, or anything else is guilty. That everyone was in Banjska,” he said.

Asked whether he knew the other two defendants, Maksimovic said he did not know them personally.

“I had seen Blagoje working at a gas station in Mitrovica. We never had any contact. As for Vladimir, I also did not know him. I had seen him performing in folklore. Even where I worked, when cultural events were held, he performed with his cultural-art society. I must mention one thing. I asked my lawyer to print that part. When I gave my statement to the prosecution, the prosecutor told me there was a report and a photo showing me with Tolic. My first reaction was that it was impossible; however, when the prosecutor showed me the photo, I saw it existed, but that it was not Tolic in it, but my friend from Banjska, Stefan Anđelkovic,” Maksimovic stated.

As he noted, the prosecution went so far as to present people under false names just to connect him with the events in Banjska.

I Did Not Dare to Go Home

He also stated that on the morning of September 24, around 7 a.m., he returned from a cottage where he had spent the previous night with a colleague who, as he said, wanted to testify.

“On September 23, around 9 a.m., I came to work at Rajska Banja, started my shift, checked heating and cooling, asked colleagues if they needed anything. After that, I stayed there, had no particular activities, went to a tavern and came back… Around 4 p.m., I packed things for the cottage. At that cottage, every last or penultimate weekend of the month one of us friends would host. This time it was Dusan Kostic. We arrived at the cottage, about four kilometers from Banjska, in the village of Suvi Do. I lit the barbecue, Djordje and Dusan took things out of the car. Then they arranged the cottage and the surrounding area. We drank, joked, listened to music. After some time, other friends arrived. I finished my part of the work, and then we continued drinking. After some time, we started discussing how to finish the bathroom we had built onto the cottage three or four months earlier, and one part remained to formwork some columns around the door. Since the next day was Sunday, I was free, I promised to stay and finish that job, and two friends said they would stay to help me. Around midnight my friends left. We cleaned up, and Djordje and I went to sleep. Later, around 3:30 a.m., half asleep, I heard Dusan talking on the phone and mentioning some shooting. I asked what was happening, and he said there was shooting in Banjska. I took my phone; my first impression was that it was some incident, as there had been a lot of smuggling,” he said.

He added that they went outside the cottage, heard gunfire, but since it was dark decided not to go to the village and to wait for morning.

“We made coffee, and when it got light, we decided to go to the village. It was around 6:30. Then I entered a residential building with them and stayed there all day, until the next morning,” he said.

As he noted, he occasionally worked as a waiter in a café in Banjska and kept records of the bar inventory and staff shifts.

Photographs of the cottage taken by lawyer Jovana Filipovic show the columns he said he was supposed to complete that day.

“It seems that hasn’t been done yet; it looks like that still awaits me,” he said.

Asked why he did not go home on September 24, Maksimovic said that he saw on social media that everything in Banjska was happening just 30 meters from his house.

“I couldn’t, and I didn’t dare to go there,” he said.

He added that he was arrested on September 25, and when asked whether he had access to a phone on September 28, he answered—absolutely not.

Regarding a photograph found on his phone, used as evidence and allegedly taken on September 28, Maksimovic stated that this only confirms that someone used his phone while he was in detention, which also explains other photos found on his phone.

I Was Detained Because of a Recording

Explaining how he was arrested, Maksimovic said that in Banjska he approached police officers and asked whether and how he could go to Zvecan, to which they replied that he could only go on foot.

“After that, a friend Nemanja and I approached a guard at Rajska Banja, asked how he was. We continued toward the hotel but did not enter, instead heading toward my house. I went down to my house, opened the door to see if anything had been broken, then went out and closed it. Then we saw police at my neighbor Suzana’s house. I approached the police again and asked if I could pass, explaining that I was going to Zvecan because I lived there due to the flooding in my house. They let me go. Nemanja and I then had coffee at a café, and then I left. At that moment, the police stopped me, asked for my ID, asked if I had a phone—I said I did and handed it over. When they saw that I had a recording with gunshots, they asked where it was; I pointed to the building. After that, a ‘Skoda’ car arrived; they did not handcuff me. I thought they would just take me to Zvecan. When they did not turn, I asked what was happening; they said we had to go to South Mitrovica. I asked if I was under arrest; they said I was not and took my phone. I waited a long time at the police station, then they gave me a paper with rights and told me to wait for a court-appointed lawyer. A lawyer arrived, an Albanian who did not know Serbian. A police officer said I was accused because of some recordings. That lawyer explained to me with gestures to remain silent. I was not given anything, no document. I was not present when my phone was searched,” Maksimovic said.

Regarding photographs in which he appears with and without a mask, Maksimovic said they were taken at a protest in May in front of the Municipality of Zvecan.

“I was never called for questioning about that, because apart from being there like hundreds of other citizens, I did nothing. I did not injure or hit anyone, nor cause any damage. A protest is a democratic way of expressing dissatisfaction. It would have been evident if I had done something. Clearly, the footage shows that I turned around and left the protest,” he said.

As for other photographs, he stated that none of them are related to the events in Banjska.

Tolic and Spasojevic Remain Silent

Unlike Maksimovic, Tolic and Spasojevic stated at the previous hearing that they would defend themselves by remaining silent.

Closing arguments in this case are scheduled for April 5 and April 20.

Maksimovic, Tolic, and Blagojevic are charged with attacking the constitutional order and security of Kosovo and terrorism. They were arrested immediately after the events in Banjska in 2023 and have been in detention ever since.
They are part of the indictment filed by the Kosovo Special Prosecution on September 11, 2024, against 45 individuals in the Banjska case.

The trial of the accused began on October 9, 2024, and was returned to the beginning on January 16 this year due to changes in the trial panel.