The Special Prosecutor’s Office of Kosovo announced on Wednesday that it has filed charges against 45 persons allegedly involved in the armed attack in September 2023 by a Serb armed group in Banjska, north Kosovo, in which one Kosovo police officer was killed. Charges include ‘crimes related to terrorism, specifically crimes against Kosovo’s constitution order and security, financing of terrorism and money laundering’ by a ‘well-structured group’, according to the Prosecutor’s Office. The prosecutor of the case announced that one of the main suspects is ‘the individual with the key position as group leader, Milan Radoicic’.’

Why is this significant

The international community has repeatedly called for accountability and has demanded that those involved in the attack in Banjska be brought to justice. The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has linked the continuation of the dialogue for normalizing relations with Serbia to the handover of Radoičić and his “paramilitary terrorist group” to the judicial authorities of Kosovo. “As long as Radoičić and his group are free and protected in Serbia, there is no good faith in the dialogue for normalization,” Kurti has stated.

Context

In Banjska – a village in the northern part of Kosovo – an armed group of Serbs attacked the Kosovo police on September 24 last year, killing one police officer. In the armed clashes that followed, three Serbian attackers were killed. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Radoicic, who was the vice-president of Srpska Lista, the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys the support of official Belgrade. He has been sanctioned by the US and Great Britain over participation in international organized crime.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti blamed Serbia for the deadly clash by stating that “organized crime, with political, financial, and logistical backing from officials in Belgrade, is attacking our country”. In response, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić deflected the blame onto Kurti, claiming that his heavy-handed policies had provoked the Kosovo Serb “uprising” and were responsible for the bloodshed. Intensifying tensions further, the Serbian government declared September 27 a national day of mourning for the Serbian victims in the attack.

In October 2023, Radoicic was questioned by the Belgrade Higher Prosecutor’s Office on the attack. However, the Higher Court in Belgrade rejected a request for his detention, but ordered him not to leave Serbia and confiscated his passport.