Director of the Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) Marko Djuric expressed on Thursday his deep disappointment and revolt over the court decision to extend the detention for Oliver Ivanovic, leader of the Serb party Citizens’ Initiative Freedom, Democracy Justice, and qualified it as yet another proof that the case against Ivanovic is politically motivated.
The detention for Ivanovic has been extended until October 6. According to Djuric, this decision is a bad signal for the overall political climate and the rule of law in Kosovo.
The Office for KiM appealed on Wednesday for Ivanovic and other defendants in the same case to be released from custody, stressing that this is the only way to put an end to legal violence.
It is inconceivable that in making this decision the court failed to take into account the testimonies of dozens of witnesses for the prosecution who in effect testified on Ivanovic’s behalf, or the guarantees offered by the Serbian government that Ivanovic, if released pending trial, will remain available to the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) at all times, Djuric said in a written statement to the media.
The damage has been done not only to Ivanovic and his family, but also to the political life and the process of normalization of relations in Kosovo, because Ivanovic is a politician deeply committed to democracy and one of the fiercest critics of all forms of political extremism, said Djuric.
