Trial of Serbs accused of terrorism continues in Pristina, lawyers: Prosecution's evidence unfounded

At the Special Department of the Basic Court in Pristina, the trial of Milun Milenkovic Lune, Dejan Pantic, Aleksandar Vlajic, and Miomir Vakic, who are charged by the Special Prosecutor’s Office with committing a terrorist act, continued today.

After the parties declared that they had no further witnesses, today was scheduled for the presentation of material evidence by both the prosecution and the defense.

Special Prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu presented photographs, a video recording, and a message exchange involving Aleksandar Vlajic, who allegedly coordinated roles for the attack via messages.

“The accused Milun Milenkovic, along with his unit, headed toward the CEC office and attacked without reason,” the prosecutor said, explaining the photos and video and claiming they represent “elements of a terrorist attack.”

Milun Milenkovic’s defense attorney, Predrag Miljkovic, objected to the prosecution’s evidence, arguing that the information report presented is actually a criminal complaint and cannot be considered evidence. He also stated that the photographs shown by the prosecutor were being seen in color for the first time by the defense, as they had previously only received photocopies.

Miljkovic noted that some images fail to clearly mark the location of the “Grey” restaurant, giving a misleading impression that it depicts an intersection and that place. For this reason, he requested an on-site inspection by the court.

The lawyer also emphasized that some faces in the photos are not clearly visible for identification. He objected to a report indicating alleged illegal actions by a police officer, in which Milenkovic supposedly admitted participating in protests without legal counsel present.

Aleksandar Vlajic’s attorney, Milos Delevic, pointed out that the prosecution presented a text message conversation from Vlajic’s phone, but it is unknown to whom the message was sent or on what date. He argued there is no proof that Vlajic gave anyone instructions, and thus the prosecution’s evidence is unfounded.

Delevic added that the case files include forensic data from Vlajic’s phone, and there is no proof that he called Milenkovic on the critical day, which cannot be demonstrated by a single slide merely showing they had a phone conversation. He stressed that this is merely a prosecutor's assumption based on witness Idrizi's statement, and that the court must ensure all evidence is lawfully obtained.

Dejan Pantic’s attorney, Ljubomir Pantovic, objected to all prosecution evidence.

“In the indictment, photographs 1 and 2 are cited as showing the accused Milenkovic with the other suspects heading to the CEC offices. That is not true. None of the accused, especially my client, can be seen heading to the OEC office in those images. As for photograph 8, showing an ambulance and groups of people, the prosecution claims Milenkovic and the others are clearly visible. But nowhere is Dejan Pantic mentioned, the prosecutor doesn’t even say where he is. Photograph 9, which allegedly shows all of the accused in front of the office during the stun grenade attack, does not show my client arriving at the OEC office,” Pantovic said.

He referenced a Viber message exchange between Pantic and Vlajic that mentioned “pears and apples.”

“Those messages were sent two days after the attack, they are not evidence, contrary to what the prosecution claims,” Pantovic said, asking the court to pay attention to the date of the messages.

Attorney Dejan Vasic emphasized that none of the accused are visible in the photos.

“These are the supposed pieces of evidence supporting this indictment, and here at the end of the main trial, I can’t believe the indictment was confirmed, that this evidence is considered valid, and that these people are labeled as terrorists. Everyone in this courtroom has seen the evidence. We all know what this trial is about, it is purely the enforcement of a political judicial agenda,” Vasic stated.

The four Serbs are accused of acting in complicity with other unidentified individuals to carry out a terrorist attack on the premises of the Municipal Election Commission on December 6, 2022, during protests by Serbs, when two hand grenades and two stun grenades were thrown, allegedly endangering human lives.

Milun Milenkovic and Aleksandar Vlajic remain in custody, while the others are being tried while out of detention.