Son of Dragan Ristic detained in Podujevo: Financial aid from the Serbian Government means a lot to us, we are struggling with the situation

Miroslav Ristic, son of Dragan Ristic (76), who was arrested by the Kosovo police on February 25 at the Jarinje crossing for allegedly committing a war crime against civilians during 1998–1999, and who is currently held in prison in Podujevo, told Kosovo Online that the Serbian government's decision to provide a one-time financial aid of 300,000 dinars to those detained in prisons and court custody in Kosovo means a lot to them.

"This aid truly means a lot to us. For the past eight and a half years, my father had been taking care of my immobile mother at home. I also traveled from Nis to Jagodina to help him. However, now I've had to hire a woman who stays at the house, changes my mother's clothes, and does the chores my father used to handle, and all that costs a lot of money. There are also expenses for the things I send to him for his needs in prison. It is a huge burden for families, so this aid is of great importance to us. I would like to thank the Government of Serbia and the President for caring about us. Without their help, it would be very difficult for us to cope with this situation," Miroslav Ristic said.

Dragan Ristic was arrested on February 25, even though, according to his son, they had traveled to Kosovo numerous times before, to Djakovica, where they used to live, for memorial services, and for religious celebrations like the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, or to Mitrovica, without any problems.

"We used to cross through Merdare as well and never had any issues until this time. So this is clearly a case of political persecution. My father was neither militarily nor politically involved. Throughout the war in 1998 and 1999, he worked as a security guard at a juice factory in Djakovica. Numerous people from Djakovica called me when he was arrested, because everyone knew him as a peaceful, composed man who never argued with anyone, let alone harmed anyone. If this can happen to him, what can the rest of us Serbs expect? This is a great shame for the international institutions that failed to react," said the son of the detained Dragan Ristic.

He said that his father is in very poor health, as he suffered nerve damage while caring for his immobile wife, who is battling Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.

"He wakes up during the night. When we spoke recently by phone from the prison, he complained that the same thing happens there, he can't fall asleep for two or three hours. His entire body is covered in sores, he feels constant itching, which doctors say is a sign of nerve damage. On top of that, he suffers from high blood pressure. At the insistence of his lawyer, doctors have examined him several times. Through her, I sent the medications he uses, but he told me that they only occasionally give him one of the medications, and not consistently as he used to take them at home. As for his main medication for blood pressure, he said he is not receiving the one I sent, it's a different box. Whether it's a different manufacturer and they are giving him some substitute medication there, I don't know," Miroslav Ristic explained.

Miroslav was only able to speak to his father on April 16, nearly two months after the arrest, and until then, he said, the prison authorities had been obstructing his attempts to communicate with his family.

"He told me that once he felt extremely unwell, and that the other prisoners had to bang on the doors to call the guard. They took him to a doctor who provided urgent medical assistance," Miroslav said.

Yesterday, the Government of Serbia adopted a decision to grant a one-time financial aid of 300,000 dinars to individuals who are detained in prisons and court custody in Kosovo.

In its statement, the Serbian Government said that the aid is intended for individuals against whom fabricated criminal proceedings have been initiated for alleged crimes committed during the 1998–1999 armed conflict against Albanians in Kosovo, as well as other politically motivated criminal proceedings. The payment of the aid is expected to be carried out as soon as possible.