Oliver Ivanovic faces one-month detention
A court decided to place Oliver Ivanovic, leader of the Citizens' Initiative "Serbia, Democracy, Justice" (GI SDP) in detention for one month, and he has been taken to the detention unit in Pristina early on Tuesday, his legal counsel Nebojsa Vlajic has stated.
(kosovocompromisestuff) Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Vlajic said that he will appeal against the decision, as he deems that there are no grounds for the detention, so he will request Ivanovic's release. The accusations, apart from being very serious for the gravest crimes, are ridiculous and fabricated, Vlajic said.
"Each and everyone of us could be accused in the way Ivanovic has been, and for this reason there are no everyday or legal security in Kosovo for us," he said.Ivanovic, leader of the GI SDP and candidate for mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica, voluntarily presented himself to the police station in northern Mitrovica on Monday, where a prosecutor with the Kosovo Special Prosecutors Office (KSPO) conducted an interview with him, in line with the prior arrangement between the prosecutor and Ivanovic's legal counsel, EULEX announced. Ivanovic is a suspect in an ongoing investigation into war crimes, and faces allegations of aggravated murder committed after the conflict in Kosovo in 1999. Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic said on Tuesday that Belgrade will request all data in relation to the detention of Serb political leader Oliver Ivanovic in Kosovo due to allegations stemming from an ongoing investigation into war crimes. Selakovic told the Belgrade-based broadcaster TV that the Kosovo Special Prosecutors Office (KSPO) is under the jurisdiction of EULEX, with which Belgrade cooperates, so Belgrade will ask of EULEX officials to provide all the data they could give. "Belgrade will remain fully interested in learning the reasons for the detention of Oliver Ivanovic, and the evidence charging him with what appeared in the media," Selakovic said, adding that he is surprised at those claims, as Ivanovic previously presented the data that the former UNMIK prosecution dismissed all accusations against him concerning the same cases. Selakovic noted that the detention will affect further political developments in Kosovo. "Nothing happens by chance in Kosovo-Metohija, particularly when you have a volatile area where the slightest moves could have an impact on something," Selakovic said when asked whether he sees a connection between the detention of Ivanovic, leader of the Citizens' Initiative "Serbia, Democracy, Justice" and candidate for mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica, and the forthcoming re-run of local elections in that town.
Selakovic said he is surprised as Ivanovic is not an ordinary citizen, but rather a party leader who achieved a significant result in local elections that were held in the municipalities in northern Kosovo in November. The government of Serbia demands that the leader of Citizens' Initiative “Serbia, Democracy, Justice” Oliver Ivanovic be immediately released pending trial, Minister without Portfolio in charge of Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin said on Tuesday, noting that this arrest was an attempt to destabilize the north of Kosov. "The Government of Serbia demands for Oliver Ivanovic to be released immediately, to be granted a pretrial release and be allowed to prepare his defense in an adequate way, and until that time to be transferred to adequate facilities in the north of KiM so that his health and safety would be protected,” Vulin said for the press. The government demands for the indictment against Ivanovic to be revealed as soon as possible so that it would be clear “where we stand, what he had done wrong and what he has to defend himself against," he stressed. Vulin noted that Ivanovic's arrest is an act that causes grave instability and raises serious questions and doubts about everything that is happening in Kosovo-Metohija and about real intentions of those who speak about normalization of relations and exposing war crimes. "An arrest for war crimes committed 15 years ago, while all those years Oliver Ivanovic was available to them - both as an official in Pristina institutions, and as a man living in Mitrovica and traveling around the world - it is, to say the least, absurd," said Vulin. Vulin stressed that the government will not allow the arrest to be used for “dark plans”, such as possible introduction of interim administration in northern Kosovska Mitrovica. Noting that this could be one of the motives for the arrest, Vulin urged the Serbs in Kosovo to keep calm and dignified, and to coordinate their actions with the government in Belgrade. An international judge at the Basic Court in Mitrovica ordered the one-month detention for Ivanovic earlier today. Representatives of north Kosovo Serbs have demanded that Oliver Ivanovic, leader of the Citizens' Initiative "Serbia, Democracy, Justice" (GI SDP) be released, and if that does not happen, members of the GI SDP have threatened to step down from their positions in local municipal assemblies in northern Kosovo. After a meeting with EULEX officials in Kosovska Mitrovica, representatives of the GI SDP said that on Tuesday and in the coming days, protests will be organized in Kosovska Mitrovica, unless Ivanovic is released pending trial. Addressing the reporters, GI SDP representative Ksenija Bozovic noted that the protest that lasted for over two hours in front of the court, police and EULEX buildings in Kosovska Mitrovica on Monday evening brought together councilors, representatives of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo-Metohija and mayors from northern Kosovo, all of them sharing the same stand that Ivanovic is innocent. Ljubomir Maric, president of the Management Team tasked with establishing a community of Serb municipalities, stated that it is completely unacceptable for the Serb community that any investigation is conducted in this way. "The Serb community cannot be treated in the way that implies the detention of people," Maric said, stressing that all other accused are allowed to be released pending trial. Zvecan Mayor Vucina Jankovic said that he and other leaders of the municipality of Zvecan condemned in the strongest terms this act of EULEX and Ivanovic's arrest. "We are also of the opinion that this arrest has political connotations, as it does not contribute to peace and establishment of the rule of law, which is EULEX's objective," Jankovic said. Aleksandar Spiric, president of the interim municipal body in Kosovska Mitrovica, also condemned Ivanovic's arrest and requested an urgent release. EULEX Mission confirmed that, at the request of an international prosecutor with the Kosovo Special Prosecutors Office (KSPO), an international judge at the Basic Court in Mitrovica ordered that Ivanovic be in detention for one month, on suspicion that he was involved in war crimes and an aggravated murder. EULEX noted that Ivanovic voluntarily presented himself to the police station in northern Mitrovica on Monday, where the KSPO prosecutor conducted an interview with him, in line with the prior arrangement between the prosecutor and Ivanovic's legal counsel. After the questioning, Ivanovic was arrested on the prosecutor's order, and appeared before the international judge at the Basic Court in Mitrovica, EULEX noted.
"Each and everyone of us could be accused in the way Ivanovic has been, and for this reason there are no everyday or legal security in Kosovo for us," he said.Ivanovic, leader of the GI SDP and candidate for mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica, voluntarily presented himself to the police station in northern Mitrovica on Monday, where a prosecutor with the Kosovo Special Prosecutors Office (KSPO) conducted an interview with him, in line with the prior arrangement between the prosecutor and Ivanovic's legal counsel, EULEX announced. Ivanovic is a suspect in an ongoing investigation into war crimes, and faces allegations of aggravated murder committed after the conflict in Kosovo in 1999. Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic said on Tuesday that Belgrade will request all data in relation to the detention of Serb political leader Oliver Ivanovic in Kosovo due to allegations stemming from an ongoing investigation into war crimes. Selakovic told the Belgrade-based broadcaster TV that the Kosovo Special Prosecutors Office (KSPO) is under the jurisdiction of EULEX, with which Belgrade cooperates, so Belgrade will ask of EULEX officials to provide all the data they could give. "Belgrade will remain fully interested in learning the reasons for the detention of Oliver Ivanovic, and the evidence charging him with what appeared in the media," Selakovic said, adding that he is surprised at those claims, as Ivanovic previously presented the data that the former UNMIK prosecution dismissed all accusations against him concerning the same cases. Selakovic noted that the detention will affect further political developments in Kosovo. "Nothing happens by chance in Kosovo-Metohija, particularly when you have a volatile area where the slightest moves could have an impact on something," Selakovic said when asked whether he sees a connection between the detention of Ivanovic, leader of the Citizens' Initiative "Serbia, Democracy, Justice" and candidate for mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica, and the forthcoming re-run of local elections in that town.
Selakovic said he is surprised as Ivanovic is not an ordinary citizen, but rather a party leader who achieved a significant result in local elections that were held in the municipalities in northern Kosovo in November. The government of Serbia demands that the leader of Citizens' Initiative “Serbia, Democracy, Justice” Oliver Ivanovic be immediately released pending trial, Minister without Portfolio in charge of Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin said on Tuesday, noting that this arrest was an attempt to destabilize the north of Kosov. "The Government of Serbia demands for Oliver Ivanovic to be released immediately, to be granted a pretrial release and be allowed to prepare his defense in an adequate way, and until that time to be transferred to adequate facilities in the north of KiM so that his health and safety would be protected,” Vulin said for the press. The government demands for the indictment against Ivanovic to be revealed as soon as possible so that it would be clear “where we stand, what he had done wrong and what he has to defend himself against," he stressed. Vulin noted that Ivanovic's arrest is an act that causes grave instability and raises serious questions and doubts about everything that is happening in Kosovo-Metohija and about real intentions of those who speak about normalization of relations and exposing war crimes. "An arrest for war crimes committed 15 years ago, while all those years Oliver Ivanovic was available to them - both as an official in Pristina institutions, and as a man living in Mitrovica and traveling around the world - it is, to say the least, absurd," said Vulin. Vulin stressed that the government will not allow the arrest to be used for “dark plans”, such as possible introduction of interim administration in northern Kosovska Mitrovica. Noting that this could be one of the motives for the arrest, Vulin urged the Serbs in Kosovo to keep calm and dignified, and to coordinate their actions with the government in Belgrade. An international judge at the Basic Court in Mitrovica ordered the one-month detention for Ivanovic earlier today. Representatives of north Kosovo Serbs have demanded that Oliver Ivanovic, leader of the Citizens' Initiative "Serbia, Democracy, Justice" (GI SDP) be released, and if that does not happen, members of the GI SDP have threatened to step down from their positions in local municipal assemblies in northern Kosovo. After a meeting with EULEX officials in Kosovska Mitrovica, representatives of the GI SDP said that on Tuesday and in the coming days, protests will be organized in Kosovska Mitrovica, unless Ivanovic is released pending trial. Addressing the reporters, GI SDP representative Ksenija Bozovic noted that the protest that lasted for over two hours in front of the court, police and EULEX buildings in Kosovska Mitrovica on Monday evening brought together councilors, representatives of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo-Metohija and mayors from northern Kosovo, all of them sharing the same stand that Ivanovic is innocent. Ljubomir Maric, president of the Management Team tasked with establishing a community of Serb municipalities, stated that it is completely unacceptable for the Serb community that any investigation is conducted in this way. "The Serb community cannot be treated in the way that implies the detention of people," Maric said, stressing that all other accused are allowed to be released pending trial. Zvecan Mayor Vucina Jankovic said that he and other leaders of the municipality of Zvecan condemned in the strongest terms this act of EULEX and Ivanovic's arrest. "We are also of the opinion that this arrest has political connotations, as it does not contribute to peace and establishment of the rule of law, which is EULEX's objective," Jankovic said. Aleksandar Spiric, president of the interim municipal body in Kosovska Mitrovica, also condemned Ivanovic's arrest and requested an urgent release. EULEX Mission confirmed that, at the request of an international prosecutor with the Kosovo Special Prosecutors Office (KSPO), an international judge at the Basic Court in Mitrovica ordered that Ivanovic be in detention for one month, on suspicion that he was involved in war crimes and an aggravated murder. EULEX noted that Ivanovic voluntarily presented himself to the police station in northern Mitrovica on Monday, where the KSPO prosecutor conducted an interview with him, in line with the prior arrangement between the prosecutor and Ivanovic's legal counsel. After the questioning, Ivanovic was arrested on the prosecutor's order, and appeared before the international judge at the Basic Court in Mitrovica, EULEX noted.
