The Special Prosecution Office and the injured party's lawyer have requested the maximum sentence, life imprisonment, for the defendants in the Banjska attack case, describing it as the only sentence proportionate to the gravity of the criminal offense.
The prosecutor in the case, Naim Abazi, in his closing statement in the trial for the attack in Banjska, said that the case represents a direct confrontation between the constitutional order of Kosovo and an armed organization with terrorist intent.
During his speech, Prosecutor Abazi said that there is clear evidence that the terrorist group has been well organized, since 2021 in Raška, to disrupt peace and order and with the aim of seceding part of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo.
The prosecutor has also argued with videos and photographs the participation and involvement of each accused in the terrorist attack in Banjska where Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed, writes RTK.
The lawyers for the injured parties are also continuing their closing arguments. The lawyer for the Bunjaku family, Arianit Koci, is also requesting life imprisonment.
"Afrim Bunjaku continues to be killed, his family continues to be killed, with the fact that no one has repented, no one has distanced themselves...
I feel sorry for every young man who is sentenced to life imprisonment, but I don't feel sorry at all when a crime is committed and proven with evidence presented by the prosecution.
This entire situation makes us think about whether we are safe in our country.
Kosovo is an independent state and no part of it can secede, and everyone should know this.
"They had the opportunity to procedurally alleviate the situation if they had cooperated with the prosecution, explaining how the incident occurred and expressing regret," said the Bunjaku family's lawyer, Arianit Koci.
Court hearing begins for the `Banjska` case
Under strict security measures, the three defendants in the September 24, 2023 attack in the village of Banjska, Zveçan, were brought before the trial panel at the Basic Court in Pristina. Today's hearing is expected to continue with the closing arguments of the Prosecution and the injured party.
Two of the defendants, Blagoje Spasojevic and Vladimir Tolic, have chosen to remain silent, while defendant Dusan Maksimovic has decided to present his defense.
The three main defendants are on trial for their participation in an armed attack that killed Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. According to the indictment, they are suspected of attempting to secede the northern part of Kosovo's territory and unite it with Serbia.
Meanwhile, the court has rejected the proposal that the trial of 42 other defendants, 41 natural persons and one legal entity, continue in absentia.
