Milena Vasić. BIRN.
The anti-lithium mining activists arrested recently in Serbia are the latest victims of a law barring ‘calls for a violent change in the constitutional order’ that the authorities have used regularly against peaceful protesters.
In mid-August it was reported that, days after a series of anti-lithium mining protests in Serbia, ending with a mass protest in Belgrade, Serbian police took away numerous citizens, most of them connected to environmental organisations [including Marš sa Drine], for interrogation.
These activists were intercepted in some cases while attempting to go on vacation, their homes were searched, and they were questioned in pre-investigative proceedings for criminal offences.
At the time of writing, the exact number of those who have suffered legal consequences for their engagement in this way is unknown, but it is clear that the cases number several dozen. Full article on BIRN.
The Belgrade Misdemeanour Appeal Court revoked a verdict convicting three activists for their behaviour during a blockade of the Serbian capital’s main station that followed a protest at the weekend against the building of a lithium mine. The court said that the verdict was revoked because of a violation of the provisions of the misdemeanour procedure.
Ivan Bjelic had been sentenced to 40 days of prison, while Nikola Ristic and Jevdjenije-Julijan Dimitrijevic had been sentenced 30 days for disturbing public order and peace by rude, insolent and reckless behaviour. The court found they disrupted reporting from the blockade by a journalist from pro-government tabloid Informer, one of their lawyers told media. Another lawyer for the defendants, Aleksandar Petrovic, told BIRN that their appeal against the verdict was accepted. They now face a retrial.
“The judgment under which they were sentenced to prison was revoked, everything has been returned to the regular procedure and now [misdemeanour retrial] will continue in the regular way and they will defend themselves at liberty,” Petrovic said.
The three activists were arrested early on Sunday morning, after police ended protesters’ blockade of the railway station. More into at Balkan Insight.
