Six Novi Sad activists he has been in prison in the Klisi suburb of that city for a full 50 days.
Five members Movement of free citizens (PSG) from Novi Sad - Marija Vasić, Lado Jovović, Mladen Cvijetić, Davor Stefanović and Srđan Đurić and a student from the organization OPINION Lazar Dinić are accused of undermining, that is, preparations for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order of Serbia, and the alleged evidence for this crime was obtained, according to the claims of their lawyers, in an illegal way, and then published in the pro-regime media.
A warrant has been issued for six more activists from the organization STAV, since they are unavailable to the prosecuting authorities, and they have also been ordered to be detained, which will come into effect when they enter the country.
They are Mila Pajić, Branislav Đorđević, Anja Pitulić and Jovan Dražić, as well as Doroteja Antić and Dejan Bagarić.
What happened?
On the evening of March 13, several regime television stations broadcast a recording of a conversation between members of the Novi Sad opposition and activists, where various scenarios of the large student protest on March 15 are considered. Activists and students are soon according to the regime media declared terrorists who planned to break into the Radio and Television of Serbia and the National Assembly, and were soon arrested on suspicion of "preparation of an act against the constitutional order and security of Serbia in complicity".
The following day they were arrested, and on March 16, the High Court in Novi Sad ordered the arrestees to be detained for 30 days. The police also searched the apartments of activists who are currently not in Serbia.
At the end of the first 30 days of detention, the judge for preliminary proceedings Tatjana Đurašković extended them On April 11, he was detained for another 30 days.
The defenders of the students and activists then asked the judge Tatjana Đurašković to separate from the case file the evidence that cannot be used in the criminal proceedings, because it was not collected in accordance with the law, and that after that they should all be released from custody, but she refused.
This 30-day extension of detention expires in a few days, and while they wait for further developments in the situation, support rallies are being organized to demand their release. The last one was held on Saturday (May 3) in front of the prison.
A fight on two fronts
Defense lawyer Željko Kočić says that the fight is being fought on two fronts.
"Abolishing custody and extracting evidence that cannot be used in criminal proceedings because it was not obtained according to the Code of Criminal Procedure. We will submit a request to the Supreme Court for the protection of legality against the decision by which the High Court in Novi Sad refused to extract that evidence from the case file," said the lawyer, reports Danas.
As he added, the actions described in the criminal complaint do not represent the execution of any criminal offense, nor is it stated individually for each of the defendants how he allegedly committed the criminal offense, which, as he added, is certainly illegal and represents an abuse of the procedural powers of the High Court and the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad.
More than 30 associations and civil society organizations from Serbia asked international organizations and institutions dealing with the protection of citizens to stand up for the activists who, as they pointed out, were exposed to "the most brutal politically motivated media and court persecution".
They condemned the fact that the recording of the activists' conversation, as they stated, ended up in the media, rather than in the judicial authorities, which immediately "judged" that it was terrorism and the overthrow of the state, which was later repeated by the highest officials of Serbia.
The United Novi Sad opposition requested the immediate release of six activists from detention at the end of April. In the statement, they stated that the activists "have been in detention for 40 days not because of justice and rights, but because of brutal political repression and violence against justice."
They assessed that the activists were detained in "inhumane conditions in the facility on Klisa, where, due to poor hygiene and health conditions, their health was seriously impaired."
"We demand that, as well as other activists who, due to political persecution, are forced into exile, they are urgently guaranteed the right to a fair and impartial trial, without political pressure and media harassment," the opposition stated.
They also assessed that the entire proceedings against the activists "are based on an audio recording in which there is no concrete action that would represent unconstitutional activity."
"It is about a private conversation held in a closed, unofficial context, whose words were arbitrarily interpreted as 'proof' of a non-existent conspiracy. It is clear that this is about the continuity of the political persecution of activists, which represents a serious violation of basic human rights, constitutional freedoms and an inadmissible attack on freedom of expression and political opinion," the statement reads.
As Danas writes, at the session of the European Parliament on May 14, one of the items on the agenda will be the discussion of protests in Serbia, and some members of the European Parliament have announced that they will bring up the topic of political prisoners in Serbia in their speeches.
Jovović: "Vučić's regime tried to break them and force one of them to consensually and falsely admit guilt"
Radivoje Jovović, provincial representative of the PSG, says that in this chaotic time with a thousand and one news, people initially did not even realize what actually happened.
"Others reacted with guts because they didn't like what they heard. They decided not to react until they came to their senses, because above all we are defending someone's basic rights here. What is needed now is to raise awareness to another level, that is, to fight for their release," Jovović said, as reported by Danas.
As he added, he is not only speaking to PSG and Stavo members, "but also to Srđan Žunić and other people who may or may not like us politically, but are undeniable victims of the regime's persecution."
Jovović, he says, is in contact with the prisoners through his family and lawyers.
"They first went through disbelief, then fear and missing, and now they have moved to the stage of anger and the feeling that they will firmly and resolutely continue the fight as soon as they are released from custody. The Vučić regime tried to break them and force one of them to consensually and falsely confess their guilt. They would wave that paper and falsely label us all, from the opposition to the student movement. Now they are aware that they will not succeed in this and are looking for an exit strategy. Public interest has increased, as well as numerous factors in the European Union. The government is looking for a way to come out of everything intact, so that it does not turn out to be weak and powerless, and the detention group of our people will depend on these plans and assessments," said Jovović.
He says that he also discussed this topic with Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, and he expects her answer after she has familiarized herself with all the documents.
The sociology professor's message from prison
One of those detained is Marija Vasić, professor of sociology at the "Jovan Jovanović Zmaj" High School in Novi Sad. She sent a message to the students from prison.
"A message for those to whom I taught Sociology and the Constitution and citizens' rights! If I haven't explained to you what a sick society looks like, imagine the students at Jovana Jeremić interpreting the Constitution, and then imagine me in custody with handcuffs on my hands and feet," reports Danas.
Source: Danas/Nova S/Vreme
