The testimony of the anonymous witness A2 in the “Banjska” case was heard in a session closed to the public. The request for this was made by the case prosecutor, Naim Abazi, who stated that the witness is anonymous and that his request aims to protect both the witness and the entire judicial process. The request was later approved by the presiding judge, despite objections from the defense of the accused, Blagoje Spasojević.
This Monday as well, the three defendants accused of the terrorist attack in Banjska, Zvečan — Blagoje Spasojević, Vladimir Tolić, and Dušan Maksimović — were brought to court in handcuffs under high security.
At the beginning of today’s court hearing, prosecutor Naim Abazi requested that the session be closed to the public during the testimony of witness A2.
According to him, keeping the session open would endanger the safety of the witness and the integrity of the trial.
“We request that this public session be temporarily closed during the administration of the testimony of anonymous witness A2, who enjoys the status of an anonymous witness in the proceedings… in order to guarantee the physical safety of the witness and preserve the integrity of the criminal process. The content of this witness’s testimony, including the circumstances and information that could be revealed in a public session, may jeopardize the safety of the witness and the judicial process and, consequently, could negatively affect the proper conduct of the trial. Therefore, in accordance with Article 289 of the Criminal Procedure Code, we consider that excluding certain individuals from the courtroom would not be sufficient to ensure the necessary protection; hence, we request that the session be fully closed to the public during his testimony,” he said.
Defense attorney Lubomir Pantović, representing the accused Blagoje Spasojević, opposed the request, arguing that the prosecution did not provide concrete reasons for closing the session.
“What the prosecutor claims — that an open session would negatively affect the anonymous witness and the process as a whole — I would agree with that if we had heard concrete reasons from the prosecution explaining how the presence of the public would have a negative impact, both on the witness and on the process itself. But we have not heard any specific reasons from the prosecution, so I propose that this request not be accepted,” the defense stated.
The presiding judge, Arben Hoti, later approved the prosecution’s request, deciding to close the session during the hearing of the anonymous witness A2.
“The prosecution’s proposal is approved — the session will move to a closed session during the hearing of anonymous witness A2, based on Article 289 of the Criminal Procedure Code, for the purpose of witness protection. Therefore, I ask you to clear the courtroom,” he declared.
The main trial session against the three defendants in the “Banjska” case — Vladimir Tolić, Dušan Maksimović, and Blagoje Spasojević — was held on April 17, 2025. In that hearing, all three defendants pleaded not guilty. The court decided to separate their criminal proceedings from the others.
The Special Prosecutor’s Office of Kosovo filed an indictment on September 11, 2024, against Milan Radoičić and 44 others for the terrorist attack of September 24, 2023, in Banjska, Zvečan, during which police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed, as reported by KosovaPress.
The defendants are charged with committing terrorist acts, serious crimes against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo, facilitating and financing terrorism, and money laundering.
Forty-two of the accused, including Milan Radoičić — who publicly admitted to leading the Banjska attack — remain at large.
