Lawyer Vasic wrote to the Quint ambassadors: Trajkovic covered in wounds in custody

Lawyer Dejan Vasic sent a letter to the ambassadors of the Quint countries asking them to use diplomatic means to influence the Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo to enable Sladjan Trajkovic to be placed under house arrest, due to his extremely poor state of health due to inadequate treatment.

Vasic, who is representing Sladjan Trajkovic, who is accused of alleged war crimes before the court in Pristina, says in a statement for Kosovo Online that he, as a legal representative, only seeks fair conditions that are provided to all other persons against whom proceedings are being conducted, and in accordance with applicable laws.

"Today, we addressed the representatives of the Quint embassies, in which we requested that, as far as diplomatic possibilities allowed, they influenced the Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo to allow us to participate in the investigation, to have insight into the list of cases, to attend witness hearings and their identification actions, as well as the possibility of ordering house arrest on Trajkovic, which he would have to serve in his house in North Mitrovica, under the supervision of doctors who had been taking care of his health until now," Vasic says.

He states that Trajkovic was inadequately treated and that his state of health has deteriorated significantly.

"I saw Sladjan yesterday; he is in a very serious state of health caused primarily by inadequate treatment. He was taken to the hospital in Pristina several times, he underwent tests, and many doctors of very dubious knowledge and quality changed. In the visiting room yesterday I found him covered in wounds. He has not been given adequate therapy yet, he suffers from diabetes and those wounds are very difficult to heal. Today the family tried to take him a certain amount of medicine and ointments that can help him, but so far we have not had a very good experience when it comes to medicines, medicines that have a declaration from the Republic of Serbia," Vasic says.

He calls for caution and responsibility of those responsible for Trajkovic's condition.

"His state of health is so alarming that those who are responsible for his further detention may bear some responsibility for that as well. If, God forbid, something fatal happens to him tomorrow, it can be attributed to the soul of those who placed him where he is now," Vasic pointed out.

When it comes to the investigation conducted against Trajkovic, lawyer Vasic states that the investigation is practically conducted without the presence of the defense and that the prosecution conducts the process independently without providing any information to the defense.

"Until now, we have tried to address absolutely all institutions in Kosovo, including the Prime Minister, but we have not received a single answer as to the direction in which the investigation is going. The prosecutor heard more than 30 witnesses, without inviting either me as a defense attorney or Sladjan to participate in that investigation. All requests and every possibility to give Sladjan what was given to all other citizens of Kosovo, i.e. for the prosecution to conduct the investigation by allowing him to be placed under house arrest, were rejected, all due to his extremely difficult health situation," Vasic concluded.