The lawyers “express deep concern over the wave of unjustified harassment, arrests, detentions, interrogations, searches, imprisonments, and confiscation of property belonging to activists across Serbia, which is evidently motivated by their participation in recent protests,” reads the statement, as reported by N1.
The lawyers believe it is “more than evident that this is a blatant abuse of the state’s repressive apparatus against citizens who are legitimately exercising their inviolable and inalienable rights to freedom of speech, assembly, and association.”
They warn that “such actions by judicial officials undermine the credibility of the entire judicial system.” The lawyers emphasize that these institutions are “obligated to instill confidence in citizens through their behavior and actions, which should demonstrate their independence and autonomy.”
The statement is signed by lawyers Rodoljub Šabić, Dejan Putniković, Luka Jovanović, Ana Matić, Ivan Ninić, Jovan Rajić, Miroslav Živković, Aleksandar S. Petrović, Bojan Čedić, Zlata Rašević, Ivan Vukoje i Čedomir Kokanović and Dragana Milutinović.
In recent weeks, dozens of people have been detained or interrogated due to their support of and participation in the blockades and protests against the Rio Tinto mining project. On Tuesday, the Serbian Democratic Party reported that around 60 people, including one pregnant woman, have been targeted in this repressive campaign. The media has been reporting daily on the arrests and raids of activists’ homes across Serbia. At present, it appears that this trend is far from stopping.
I.P.
