Detention of nine Serbs extended by another 48 hours; lawyers: We have stronger arguments than the Prosecution

The pre-trial judge has ordered that the nine arrested Serbs from Zubin Potok, suspected of the criminal offense of a “war crime against the civilian population,” remain in detention for an additional 48 hours before a decision is made on a further measure.

“All the suspects have been ordered to remain in detention for another 48 hours, calculated from the conclusion of this hearing. Within that period, we should receive a decision on whether their detention will be extended pursuant to the prosecutor’s request,” lawyer Jelena Krivokapic, who represents Miroslav Radojevic, said after the hearing.

Krivokapic said that the Defense had sought today to refute the allegations contained in the request for detention.

“These are exhausted people who spent four hours, or however long it was, in the courtroom. It is evident that none of them has anything to do with this offense, nor are they familiar with the facts. However, I will focus solely on what the Prosecution was required to do but failed to do. There is no individualization; everything is generalized, as has always been the case so far: ‘they did this, they did that.’ All defense counsel therefore raised these objections. We all opposed the request for detention and asked that they be allowed to defend themselves while at liberty or, if the Court does not accept that, that it impose a more lenient measure, such as house arrest. Some requested bail, while others did not, because these people simply do not have the money,” Krivokapic said.

She said that all nine were being held in different detention centers and that the defense lawyers had not even been provided with information about where their clients were being held.

“This is the first time I have experienced a situation in which we have been completely unable to obtain any information about where they are, what is happening with them or how they are,” Krivokapic said.

She also said that those detained had been given breathalyzer tests at five o’clock in the morning.

“We were also somewhat angered by the prosecutor’s comment that they had been breathalyzed at five or six in the morning... They raid their homes, arrest them and give them breathalyzer tests... What is the logic in that? And the decision states that they were arrested at 11 a.m. So, they were arrested at five or six, while the document says they were arrested at 11,” Krivokapic pointed out.

She stressed that the Defense had presented stronger arguments than the Prosecution.

“The Prosecution lists certain witnesses, but nowhere does it say specifically what each suspect allegedly did. The law clearly requires a detailed description of what the suspect is alleged to have done. We pointed all of that out, and every one of my colleagues presented numerous arguments. I can say that it seemed to me that we were in a much stronger position than the prosecutor, but we will see. We cannot say anything in advance,” Krivokapic said.

Budimir Mijacic, who represents Radisav Raskovic from Dren, said that the Prosecution’s request for detention was scant and unsupported, adding that the Defense had unanimously requested that it be dismissed as unfounded because, he said, not a single piece of evidence had been presented.

“Certain witnesses have been proposed, but only their first and last names are listed. There is not a single word indicating what they are expected to testify about or how their testimony would support the indictment,” Mijacic said.

He added that the Defense expected the request for detention to be rejected and that those detained might instead be placed under house arrest or subjected to a more lenient measure, such as police supervision.

Once the additional 48-hour period expires, the Court will decide whether to extend the detainees’ detention or impose another measure.

Kosovo Police yesterday arrested nine Serbs from Zubin Potok in connection with the case known as the “group of intellectuals.”

The nine Serbs—D. D., M. R., M. R., R. R., S. D., S. D., V. L., R. R. and D. D.—were initially placed in police custody for up to 48 hours.

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic told Kosovo Online today that the arrests of the nine Serbs in Zubin Potok had further unsettled residents of the municipality, who were living in fear because of repeated police operations and a lack of sufficient information about what was happening.

Following the arrests, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said yesterday that mass arrests had become Pristina’s new method of retaliation against Serbs and that recent discoveries in Zubin Potok were being used as a pretext to stigmatize and target all remaining Serbs.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the arrests represented the most insidious method of ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Kosovo.