Elezovic released pending trial; he is in poor health

The Basic Court in Pristina has decided today to release Ilija Elezovic, who had been in prison for over a month under suspicion of an alleged war crime, pending trial.

Elezovic's son, Nikola, confirmed to Kosovo Online that his father Ilija had returned home but was in very poor health.

"He has just arrived in Mitrovica, and we are overjoyed to see him. What I can notice is that he is in quite a poor health condition, and he has deteriorated significantly. We hope that with proper nutrition, as he is a serious oncology patient, we will be able to help him recover and continue to lead a normal life with his family," Nikola Elezovic said.

He emphasized that his father had conveyed to him that he had had no problems in detention and that the guards had been exceptionally courteous to him.

"He experienced neither psychological nor physical maltreatment," he noted.

He expressed gratitude to everyone who had supported his father.

"I would like to express my gratitude to all the people who supported us, especially my colleagues, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, and the Hunting Association of Serbia, which provided significant support to our family. We are also thankful to all those who supported Ilija's quick release pending trial. On behalf of the Elezovic family, I extend our heartfelt thanks," Nikola said.

Ilija Elezovic, who is a severe oncology patient, was arrested on September 20, and a one-month detention was ordered for him.

Despite his severe health condition, his detention was extended for an additional two months on October 19. Pantovic stated at that time that the detention had been prolonged even though the court had access to medical documentation that testified and confirmed Elezovic's life was at risk.

Due to his poor health, Elezovic was visited by representatives of the OSCE, UNMIK, EULEX, the ombudsman, and a representative from the International Red Cross in Geneva visited him twice in the past weeks.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija sent a letter to EULEX Head Giovanni Pietro Barbano seven days ago regarding Elezovic's poor health, treatment, and position, pointing out the poor treatment by Kosovo institutions, which, as they stated, could have a fatal outcome. As stated by the Office at that time, Elezovic's illness was in an advanced stage, and there were no conditions for him to receive the necessary therapy and medical care in prison, which was why they had requested that he be granted house arrest until the conclusion of the proceedings.