Will the Kecmanović trial be closed to the public?

The acting prosecutor stated that he stands by the proposal in the indictment and that the reasons for the request have already been explained, namely to protect the interests of the minors involved in the proceedings.

On the other hand, the defense attorneys for Miljana and Vladimir Kecmanović opposed this proposal and requested that the trial be open to the public.

Vladimir and Miljana Kecmanović also expressed the same position, stating that the public should attend the trial in order to ensure accurate information is disseminated.

The judge ordered a 10-minute recess, after which a decision will be announced.

The trial is being repeated because the Belgrade Court of Appeals annulled the first-instance verdict, in which the Kecmanovićs were sentenced to multi-year prison terms, and ordered a retrial.

Under the first-instance verdict, Vladimir Kecmanović was sentenced to 14 and a half years in prison for the criminal offenses of neglect and abuse of a minor and a serious offense against public safety, while his wife, Miljana Kecmanović, was sentenced to three years in prison for neglect and abuse of a minor.

In the same verdict, Nemanja Marinković, the instructor at the shooting range where K.K. practiced shooting, was sentenced to one year of house arrest for giving false testimony.

In addition to the criminal proceedings, five civil lawsuits were filed by family members of the victims and the injured, all of which were concluded at first instance.

The boy K.K., who was under 14 years old at the time of the crime and therefore not criminally responsible, fired two of his father’s pistols at the school on May 3, 2023, which he had taken on May 1.

He placed the guns in his backpack, went to school, and during the first lesson killed ten people and injured five other children and a history teacher.