Balijagić: They only questioned me about the circumstances of the murder, not whether I was sane.

In the interview, they only questioned me about the circumstances of the murder, not whether I was sane, Alija Balijagić said today at the Court of Appeal, whose defense is challenging the expert's finding that he was sane at the time of the murder of Jovan and Milenka Madžgalj.

His defense attorney, attorney Rešad Muzurović, argued that a conclusion about Balijagić's mental state could not be based on a two-hour interview, especially considering that, as he said, the defendant "spent 32 of his 65 years in prison."

"It is unacceptable to draw a conclusion about a person who spent 32 years in prison based solely on a two-hour interview," said Muzurović at a session of the Appellate Court panel, which today considered the defense's appeal against the first-instance verdict of the Higher Court in Bijelo Polje.

Balijagić was sentenced to a single long-term prison sentence of 40 years for the aggravated murder of Jovan and Milenka Madžgalj in the village of Sokolac, Bijelo Polje, as well as for the illegal possession and carrying of weapons and explosives.

Judge Rapporteur Predrag Tabaš read the expert's findings, according to which Balijagić was sane at the time of the crime.

The defense, however, contested this finding in its appeal, stating that the first-instance court did not provide clear reasons for its conclusion about intent, and that intent had to be proven before the indictment was filed.

Muzurović said that Balijagić's confession does not relieve the court of its obligation to present evidence fully and legally.

"Balijagić's confession cannot be the reason why the court presents evidence superficially," the lawyer said.

The session of the Appellate Court panel was chaired by Judge Zorica Milanović, and the panel members were Vesna Pean and Predrag Tabaš.

Tabaš, as the reporting judge, read the first-instance verdict, which described how Balijagić came to Madžgalj's house on October 25, 2024, climbed onto a concrete block and watched the victims through the window, after which he first shot Jovan Madžgalj with a hunting rifle.

After that, as stated in the verdict, Milenka Madžgalj called the police, and Balijagić shot her twice. According to his earlier words, he did this "so that she wouldn't suffer."

The judge rapporteur also said that the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office proposed to the Court of Appeals to reject the defense's appeal as unfounded.

Balijagić said today that he fully stands by the allegations in the appeal.

He also asked why the reasons that, as he claims, led to the murder were not read out, to which the president of the council, Zorica Milanović, explained to him that the Court of Appeals today only decides on appeals against the first-instance verdict, and that he had already presented everything he had during the proceedings.

Milanović announced that the Court of Appeals will make a decision on the appeals after secret deliberations, within the legal deadline.

Balijagić was sentenced to 40 years in prison by a first-instance verdict for the aggravated murder of Jovan and Milenka Madžgalj. The Higher Court in Bijelo Polje found that he committed the crime in a treacherous manner, while the victims were in their family home and did not expect an attack or offer resistance.

After the crime, he fled and was arrested on November 21, 2024 in Serbia, after 26 days on the run. He was extradited to Montenegro on March 17 of this year.