In the Basic Court in Pristina, this Friday, teacher Muhamed Hajredinaj pleaded not guilty to the charge of throwing the national flag and the police badge into the trash. The parties also gave their opening statements in this trial.
Initially, the defense attorney for the accused Hajredinaj, attorney Muhamet Mujaj, proposed closing the session to the public during the entire trial, arguing that a "public trial" was being held against his client and that children were mentioned in the case files.
According to him, the purpose of this proposal is to avoid creating public divisions over a criminal case that, according to the defense, has no legal basis, reports Oath of Justice.
The defense proposal was opposed by special prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu, arguing that the criminal offense was committed publicly and that one of the Prosecution's pieces of evidence was obtained through the media.
According to him, the purpose of this judicial review is to conclude the process with conclusions.
Regarding this proposal, the panel headed by Judge Leon Përlaska, after receiving the opinion of the prosecutor, issued a ruling rejecting the request to close the session, stating that the Court, ex officio, will assess the sensitivity of the issues during the process.
After the indictment was read by prosecutor Kodraliu, the accused Hajredinaj pleaded not guilty.
The hearing continued with the parties' opening statements. Prosecutor Kodraliu stated that during the trial it will be proven that the accused committed the criminal offense, requesting that he be found guilty and sentenced according to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo.
"That the accused committed the criminal offense will be proven by the eyewitness, the principal of the FB school, who is expected to declare before you the incriminating actions of the defendant: how he had desecrated the national flag and the Albanian flag on the day when this holiday was being celebrated by the entire Albanian people; actions taken because of his religious views; how he had thrown the symbols in the trash and removed a student from class just because she was dressed and prepared for the festive program of Flag Day," said prosecutor Kodraliu, among other things.
Meanwhile, lawyer Mujaj stated that during the trial it will be proven that there was no intention to desecrate national symbols.
"It is true that Muhammad is a religious person, but it is not true that he took deliberate actions to desecrate his national identity," said lawyer Mujaj.
According to the Court's planning, two witnesses, FB and M.Sh., were expected to be heard at this session, but Judge Përlaska announced that they did not appear.
Witness FB had announced through the police that he was on an official trip, without presenting any evidence. While witness MB, although invited with a regular invitation, did not justify her absence. For this reason, the Court imposed a fine of 50 euros on her and ordered her to be brought to the next session by the Kosovo Police.
The court also rejected the defense's proposal to hear the accused's father, who, according to the defense, would testify about his character.
According to the indictment of the Special Prosecution, filed on April 24, 2025, Muhamed Hajredinaj is accused of having thrown the red and black flag and the polka dot into the trash can on November 27, 2024, at the “Xhemail Mustafa” Lower Secondary School in Prishtina, in his capacity as an English teacher, with the aim of inciting hatred, division and intolerance between national, ethnic and religious groups, despite the objections of the students. He is also accused of having removed from class a student who was wearing the symbols for participation in the festive program of Flag Day.
With these actions, Hajredinaj is accused of the criminal offense of "Inciting discord and intolerance" under Article 141, paragraph 4 in conjunction with paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code. /Oath for Justice/
