President of the Serbian list Slavko Simic says that the ruling made by the Basic Court in Mitrovica in Oliver Ivanovic's case is political and he hopes that the judges will correct this mistake with the appeal.

Simic says that it is absolutely clear to everyone that the judgment is based on principles other than law and justice, and that it is a political verdict that sends a very negative message to the Serbs.

"The message that was sent to Serbs by this judgment is that they can be convicted without concrete evidence that they have committed a crime, but it is also more than that. It equally sends the message that there is no justice in Kosovo and this leads to many other questions. First and foremost, how does one live in a place where there is no freedom, and where justice is not carried out according to law and on the basis of law," Simic says.

Simic says that he is still an optimist and believes that in the second instance, the court will correct the mistake based on the facts in Ivanovic's favour.