Tourist from North Macedonia, Goran Tanevski, who experienced the September 24, 2023 attack in Banjska, Zvečan, has experienced severe psychological trauma.
Tanevski testified on Wednesday at the court hearing in the case of the attack in Banjska against defendants Blagoje Spasojevic, Vladimir Tolic and Dusan Maksimovic.
Special prosecutor Naim Abazi asked the witness if he had overcome the anxiety he experienced during the attack in Banjska, while Tanevski said he still faces psychological problems.
"I still have such problems," he said.
Prosecutor Abazi asked the witness if, during his visit with his family to Banjska, he noticed other people who did not look like tourists.
Tanevski said that on the morning of the attack, he did not see anyone who looked like tourists, while at the moment of the attack, gunshots were heard and then he saw uniformed people around the hotel, two of whom were outside the building and one inside the hotel, all three armed.
"Until the day of the incident, that morning I did not see anyone who looked like tourists. On the day this happened, shots were heard. We could not see anyone, but that morning we saw people in uniform around the hotel and there was one in the hotel. The people we saw outside the hotel, we saw two people in uniform, without insignia and with military weapons. We could only see the rifle of the one who was in the hotel, and not the uniform, because we were below the stairs and he was looking for a blanket or something like that. Under the window, where we were located, from the window for the person I am talking to, there could have been ammunition, there was a bomb," he added.
The witness, recalling the critical day, said that one of the uniformed men had asked for sheets and his wife had given him blankets, while the guests were then asked to stay in their rooms and not leave the hotel.
"He asked us for a sheet. When he asked, I was in the other part of the space, while the woman gave him a blanket. Regarding the question of the restriction in the rooms, there was no such thing. There was a call to stay in the room, because someone wanted to leave. We started to leave, but we were told to return to the hotel. Someone told us from the hotel floor. I wanted to go out to see my vehicle, but someone told us to go back. I think it was one of the uniformed people, because that person also had a weapon with him," he said.
According to his testimony, they hid in the basement for several hours due to gunfire and explosions outside the hotel. Once the gunfire had stopped, the guests returned to their rooms.
"The difficulties were initially as a result of the shootings and explosions that were outside the hotel. Then, when the next day dawned, when we saw these uniformed people, we decided to hide in the basement. And we stayed there for 2-3 hours, then the shooting stopped for a while and we returned to the room," he said.
Tanevski said that the event had serious psychological consequences for him and his family, emphasizing that after that day he had decided not to visit Kosovo again.
He cannot forget the horror he experienced on September 24, 2023, as he felt responsible for what his family experienced, fearing that a bullet was being fired at him.
His biggest fear was his child with autism.
Tanevski added that the family left on Monday under the security of the Kosovo Police.
"From that day on, I decided never to come to Kosovo. What happened that day I can never forget. I sent them there to rest, I felt responsible for what they experienced. Even to this day, when I remember what happened, I feel stress, uncertainty and fear. At 15:00 PM, we heard shooting and explosions. This happened until the day was over. We were afraid that someone would shoot us. Then, when the day broke, we saw soldiers outside with guns, there was even more shooting. When the shooting stopped, I communicated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was told that I could not go because it was not safe. The whole day was a dilemma whether to go or not. We went on Monday, that is, in the morning, and we went with the Kosovo Police providing us with security. All that time is stress and fear. I have a child with autism who has been there, I don't know if you know what this means," he said.
So far, those arrested and under detention in this case are Blagoje Spasojevic, Vladimir Tolic and Dusan Maksimovic, for whom criminal proceedings have been initiated.
The Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo on September 11, 2024, filed an indictment against Milan Radoicic and 44 others for the terrorist attack of September 24, 2023 in Banjska, Zvecan.
The defendants are accused of attempting, through the use of violence and heavy weapons, to secede the northern part of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo and annex it to the Republic of Serbia, in which case Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed. /KP/
