Defense of the accused in the Banjska case: Witness only described the event, did not mention the accused

The defense attorneys of the three accused in the Banjska case – Dusan Maksimovic, Vladimir Tolic, and Blagoje Spasojevic – whose trial is being conducted before the Special Department of the Basic Court in Pristina, stated that today's witness only described the event and did not say anything specific about any of the defendants, which is why the defense and the accused had no questions for him.

The attorney for the accused Blagoje Spasojevic, Ljubomir Pantovic, emphasized that the evidentiary procedure in the Banjska case began today, and that the first witness, A.R., spoke in general terms about the events of September 23, 2023.

“He didn’t say anything specific regarding any of the accused, which is why we, the defense, had no questions. I believe that the next witnesses will testify in the same manner, but we’ll see. I would like to repeat the point I made in my opening statement, that the indictment is vague, a generalized description without specifying any individual actions by any of the three accused, which makes the indictment seriously deficient and, I would say, poor,” Pantovic said.

He added that he believes upcoming witnesses will also say nothing incriminating about the accused.

“I doubt any of them will say anything against the defendants, because they would then have to explain why they didn’t say so the first time. So I expect the testimonies in the coming days to be identical,” Pantovic said.

Dusan Maksimovic’s attorney, Jovana Filipovic, stated that today’s witness was unable to identify anyone.

“The witness described a specific event and shared what he knew. We also saw an attempt by the prosecutor to extract a certain conclusion from the witness, but the court intervened and didn’t allow the question to be answered. Regarding Dusan, this witness stated that he couldn’t identify anyone, so we, as the defense, had no questions for him,” Filipovic said.

She does not expect the upcoming testimonies to differ from today’s.

“All the witnesses scheduled to testify this week have no specific knowledge about the accused individuals, so we do not expect to learn anything new beyond what is already in the indictment,” Filipovic said.

She reiterated that Maksimovic has no connection to the specific incident.

“Considering everything we have pointed out so far, that Dusan was arrested later, and that we have witnesses who will confirm his alibi, proving he has no connection to the specific incident – I hope the court will fairly assess all the facts and be guided by the evidence and material truth, not by media or public pressure,” Filipovic said, adding that the trial will likely last a long time due to the number of witnesses.

Attorney Milos Delevic, representing Vladimir Tolic, emphasized that the witness did not mention the accused, which is why the defense had no questions.

“The first injured party in this case was questioned; he gave a general statement about the events of that day. He did not mention the accused, so we had no questions for him. The main trial continues with the questioning of the other accused in this case, which will take place this afternoon and throughout the week,” Delevic said.

The Kosovo Special Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment on September 11 last year against 45 individuals, including Milan Radoicic, on suspicion of being part of an armed group that attacked the Kosovo police in the village of Banjska in September 2023.

Dusan Maksimovic, Vladimir Tolic, and Blagoje Spasojevic were arrested shortly after the events in Banjska last year and have been in custody since. Their trial began on October 9.

Spasojevic is charged with two criminal offenses – attacking the constitutional order and security of Kosovo and committing a terrorist act. Dusan Maksimovic is charged with preparing acts of terrorism, while Vladimir Tolic is accused by the Kosovo prosecution of “committing a terrorist act.”

Despite the Special Prosecutor’s Office's request, the Basic Court in Pristina rejected the proposal for a trial in absentia against 42 accused in the case, explaining that international arrest warrants had been issued for them and that their detention and extradition are expected before proceedings can continue.