A citizen of Belgrade Ivan Sikošek was exposed to the "humiliation and terror" they inflicted on him policemen.
On June 11, Sikošek, as a member of the citizens' assembly in the Municipality of Voždovac, was waiting to see if the president of the municipality would receive citizens who had confirmed appointments and who requested a meeting with her and information about the business of local communities.
"When the president of the municipality heard the names of the citizens who wanted to see her, she did not want to receive them, and we went inside in revolt to complain about it. One boy nonchalantly passed through security, without a confrontation. The rest of us escorted him to the policemen to the office of the president of the municipality, but they locked us there and we spent two and a half hours there in the presence of a large number of policemen who behaved civilly and politely. Then a huge number of corridors of the Intervention Unit appeared and they picked up three of us in addition to the boyfriend who went through security with a random sample. I guess they chose me because I recorded a short video that spread on social networks," says Sikošek for "Vreme".
Locked in a cage with no windows
And then began the "humiliation and disproportionate terror" in relation to what was charged against him, which was later dismissed.
"They put me and that little girl in the 'marica', even though it is a last resort for those who resist, instead of handing us a complaint for disturbing public order and peace and summoning us to court the next day. They locked us in a cage without windows. They took us to the station, where we gave statements as citizens," says Sikošek.
He emphasizes that he experienced great discomfort there.
"The inspectors manipulated me for half an hour to give up my right to the presence of a lawyer. I wanted a lawyer who would be a witness that nothing bad would happen to me. They don't want to give me a phone, they say that they will call a lawyer, as long as I tell them his name. They insult me and say that: 'you are an Aryan and a higher race, and we are some lower race, black shirts, you are very smart, look what kind of attitude you have, we had similar ones'." I am going through terrible bullying, while I only asked for a lawyer and a promise that, as a cooperative person, I will give them a full statement when I am allowed the presence of a lawyer," Sikošek explains.
"Alleged right to a lawyer"
When the lawyer came, an inspector told Sikosek that he "has a supposed right to a lawyer."
"After I gave an extremely benign statement, without elements of any criminal offense - I stood in the corridor of the municipality with papers in my hands, I didn't push or insult anyone, I just stood and talked to people. However, they put us in the 'marica' again in order to take us to trial according to an urgent procedure. Then a large number of citizens gathered and blocked the exit from the police station. They put us in the 'marica' at 30 degrees, but they didn't turn on the air conditioning and ventilation, to which I would call them to open the door because they threatened our health. They opened the door for us as soon as they heard us and then they tried very hard to turn on the ventilation. On the same day, there was a shooting at the 'Gazelle' in which three people were seriously wounded, and the police, therefore, have no operational knowledge of the hooligans who drive scooters and carry weapons, but they are therefore ready to employ more than a hundred policemen to carry out the four from one station to another disproportionate actions," says Sikosek.
In the end, when they were finally brought to another police station, the recorder came out of the courtroom and told them that they were freed, because the report was dismissed as unfounded.
"In fact, I spent six and a half hours under police terror, which is why I turned to the media, and I will ask the Ministry of Justice for compensation for the unlawful deprivation of liberty. I will also file a criminal complaint against an unknown person for abuse of official position, because they waited two and a half hours to detain me, and the police are obliged to act immediately if there is a criminal or misdemeanor offense," Sikošek concludes.
