Kosovo’s Svecla: Justice for Banjska only complete once Radoicic is convicted

During the September 2023 attack in the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo, a Kosovo police officer was killed by a group of uniformed Serbs. Three of the Serb gunmen were subsequently killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. The clash began when a Kosovo police patrol encountered two trucks blocking a bridge in the village.

On Friday, the Basic Court in Pristina sentenced Blagoje Spasojevic and Vladimir Tolic to life imprisonment, while Dusan Maksimovic received a 30-year sentence.

Following the verdict, Svecla said that the ruling regarding the “terrorist attack in Banjska” should reflect a single standard: “maximum sentences for everyone involved.” He added that this standard must apply to every member of the group, which he described as “part of a much broader network of 45 identified individuals” without exception, Kossev reported.

Svecla characterized the September 24, 2023 Banjska attack as an “organized operation” carried out with “Serbian state support,” aimed at “undermining the constitutional order and annexing part of Kosovo’s territory.” He emphasized that on that day, Kosovo had successfully halted a “dangerous partition scenario.”

“Now it remains for Serbia to be held accountable for its political, financial, and logistical role in this aggression,” he said.

The Kosovo minister concluded by reiterating that “justice for Banjska does not end here,” adding that it will only be fully served "when all those responsible are brought to justice, starting with Milan Radoicic.”