Prosecutor says photos found on Pantic's phone prove he had a key role in "Civil Protection"

In the trial of Dejan Pantic, Milun Milenkovic, Aleksander Vlajic and Miomir Vakic for the terrorist attack on the Municipal Election Commission (MEC) offices in North Mitrovica in December 2022, prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu, during the administration of evidence, said that the photos found on Pantic's phone prove that he had a key role in the "Civil Protection" organization.

Previously, during the presentation of the jacket that was seized upon the arrest of Dejan Pantic on the critical day, which Pantic is said to have worn that day, prosecutor Kodraliu said that this jacket was used by members of the Civil Defense.

"During the arrest of the defendant Dejan Pantić, several pieces of material evidence were seized, among them a jacket used by members of the Civil Protection," said the prosecutor.

According to him, upon examination of Pantic's phone, photographs were found - which were presented as material evidence - showing Pantic wearing the jacket in question, and which he took with his phone.

"The defendant's phones were seized, from the examination of which several photographs taken by the defendant himself were identified, which were also presented as material evidence and which are also in the case files, and from that we concluded that the Civil Protection was equipped with two types of jackets or coats - it was the winter one and the one that was seized from the defendant Pnatić, which we have added as material evidence, and there was also a summer jacket," Kodraliu added.

The prosecutor added that through these photos, which are included in the Police report, it is proven that the accused Pantić had a key role in this organization, which is accused of having committed the terrorist act.

The prosecutor also proposed as evidence a decision of the Government of Kosovo, in which the groups "Civil Protection" and "Northern Brigade" were labeled as terrorist groups.

"Within the framework of this evidence and wanting to also relate it to the proposal to be evidenced as material evidence, I would like to present as material evidence the decision of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, by which the Government, in order to preserve national, regional and global security, constitutional order and stability, as well as the protection of state interests, declared the organizations "Civil Protection" and "Northern Brigade" as terrorist organizations," he said.

Regarding the prosecutor's claims, Pantic's defense attorney, attorney Predrag Miljkovic, said that the jacket presented by the Prosecution is a normal jacket donated by his daughter.

"Regarding the alleged summer uniforms of the Civil Protection and the photographs that we have seen, which they have reviewed, meaning within the police report, we must establish that there is never any mention of a summer jacket or a Civil Protection jacket. It is a simple sweatshirt or shirt, which the defendant Pantic's daughter bought for him," said Miljkovic.

He added that in the photographs presented, it is clearly seen that his client is wearing a different jacket and not the one presented by the Prosecution.

"I object to the evidence in relation to my client. All the photographs that are sent with this report and through the Prosecution are required to prove that the persons in these photographs are wearing uniforms - which my client Dejani Pantić is alleged to have had. You can see that all the persons are wearing jackets that are completely different from this jacket," he added.

Meanwhile, regarding the administration's proposal to use as a test the Government's decision to declare two organizations as terrorists, Miljkovic said that this decision was issued six months after the incident occurred.

"Regarding the Government's decision, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this decision was made more than 6 months after the attack on the North Mitrovica MEC offices and we confirm that the decision is not relevant to this case," said lawyer Miljkovic.

Meanwhile, regarding the proposal of Milun Milenković's defense - lawyer Lubomir Pantović, to request the diary from the Health House as a parallel institution in North Mitrovica for the emergency response on the critical day, the presiding judge Valon Kurtaj said that the Court has not received a response.

"Regarding the proposal submitted during the judicial review, to request from the Health Center in North Mitrovica as a parallel institution a response regarding the emergency field trip diary on the critical date when the criminal offense was allegedly committed, who the teams that went to the field were, what vehicle, what registration and other information, the Court has addressed this center twice in writing and the third time on April 7, 2025, where they have only received the letter in Albanian and Serbian, but we have not received any response as a parallel institution, which is not within the framework of the institutions within the Republic of Kosovo," said Kurtaj.

Also, because the Police report that was presented today before the Court was only in Albanian, it was requested to be translated into Serbian in order to give the defense the opportunity to state its case.

For this reason, today's session was adjourned to continue another day. /Oath for Justice/