The leader of the Civic Initiative SDP Oliver Ivanović has entered the eighth day of hunger strike in detention in North Mitrovica requesting to be released pending trial.

Ivanović decided to go on hunger strike following EULEX court panel’s decision of the Basic Court in Mitrovica to extend his detention for another two months, until 6 October.

Ivanović was arrested on 27 January 2014, and this is second time that he decides to go on  hunger strike. He went on first hunger strike last year requesting his transfer from Pristina detention to North Mitrovica, what was later approved by the court.

Second protests in last four days, organized by citizens in support to Ivanović and retired Serbian police colonel Dragoljub Delibašić, who is also in detention, will take place today at 10:00 in North Mitrovica in front of the Basic Court building.

I was announced that the Director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Đurić and chairperson of the Committee for Assistance to Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, Milorad Arlov, will also join today’s protests.