Blagoje Spasojevic, Vladimir Tolic, and Dusan Maksimovic, the three arrested out of 42 accused for the attack in Banjska, were found guilty before the Basic Court in Pristina. Spasojevic and Tolic were sentenced to life imprisonment, while Maksimovic was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
An appeal against this verdict is allowed within 30 days.
According to local media reports, only the accused Dusan Maksimovic and his family are attending the sentencing, while Blagoje Spasojevic and Vladimir Tolic stated that they would not attend the sentencing.
Blagoje Spasojevic, Vladimir Tolic, and Dusan Maksimovic are the only ones arrested for the attack in Banjska in September 2023.
Blagoje Spasojevic and Vladimir Tolic, who was wounded, were arrested on the spot in Banjska, while Maksimovic was detained a day later.
His defense claims that he has an alibi proving he was with friends in the village of Suvi Do on the day of the attack, but the judge did not want to hear from his friends.
Radio KiM reported earlier today that in the judicial proceedings which began on October 9, 2024, Blagoje Spasojevic and Vladimir Tolic defended themselves with silence, while Maksimovic denied guilt.
However, at the last hearing where their defense presented closing arguments, all three denied the charges for the acts they are accused of, except that Tolic and Spasojevic admitted they were in Banjska on September 24, 2023.
Lawyers for Spasojevic and Tolic also deny that it was a terrorist act and an attempt to separate the northern part of Kosovo, stating instead that it was an “armed rebellion,” and they believe the three should not be sacrificed for another 42 accused who are unavailable to the Kosovo judicial authorities.
Where is Milan Radoicic?
In the meantime, it seems that Milan Radoicic, by his own admission the organizer of this armed rebellion, “fared the best,” as he fled to central Serbia.
While the legal proceedings for Banjska before the Pristina court are coming to an end, the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office is not responding to questions about what is happening with the investigation opened in Serbia.
During the armed conflict near the Banjska monastery in the town of the same name in Kosovo, one Kosovo police officer and three Serbs—Stefan Nedeljkovic, Bojan Mijailovic, and Igor Milenkovic—were killed, Kossev reported.
Initially, eight suspects were arrested, but only three were detained.
MORE TOPICS:
Source: N1, Photo: N1