A former member of the Kosovo Police, Dejan Pantic, who was arrested in early December last year, and under house arrest for months, has been released at his own recognizance after posting bail, his attorney, Ljubomir Pantovic, confirmed for KoSSev.
„The family of Dejan Pantic today deposited a certain amount of money in the court account and he was released today at his own recognizance,“ stated Pantovic.
The lawyer underscored that Dejan Pantic’s house arrest was „unusually long“ and contrary to judicial practices in Kosovo.
„In other cases, house arrest lasted for a month or two, and after that it was canceled and replaced with a milder measure if the house arrest is obeyed and if one does not leave his house or apartment,“ says Pantovic.
He went on to elaborate that Pantic fully respected that measure, and that he was monitored daily by the Kosovo Police.
„The Kosovo police visited him daily to monitor whether he was in his apartment, he was always there. There was really no legal reason for the detention to last this long,“ the lawyer says.
At the same time, he pointed out that there could no longer be any restrictions to Pantic’s freedom of movement.
„While the proceedings that are still going on against him are taking place, he will not be detained any longer,“ added the lawyer.
On the other hand, Pantovic emphasized that his client is not in good health.
„He is not in a good state of health, whoever sees him after half a minute can understand that he is not completely healthy, you can see that he is very irritable and nervous, which is not strange when someone locks you in a house for eight months,“ said Pantovic.
Pantovic pointed out that his client had heart problems, and that even during house arrest, he went to the hospital for treatment, accompanied by the Kosovo Police.
He is a free man now, he adds, pointing out that Pantic is obliged to respond to all court summons in the future.
Dejan Pantic was arrested on December 10th of last year at the Jarinje border crossing for allegedly „organizing an attack on the premises of the CEC in the North of Kosovo“ on December 6, 2022.
On the same day that he was arrested, Serbs in the north installed at least 14 barricades, and one of the demands for their removal was the release of Pantic, or at least for him to be placed under house arrest.
From the moment of his arrest, until December 28th, when the Court ordered him to be placed under house arrest, Pantic stayed in improvised detention at the newly built base of the Kosovo Police near the Jarinje crossing.
The day after the adoption of this measure, the Serbs began removing the barricades.
In early March, Pantic’s detention was extended by two months, followed by an additional two months in May, and lastly, also by another two months in July.
In February, Pantic was awarded the „Miloš Obilić“ gold medal for bravery by the Serbian president, for „the extraordinary sacrifice and courage shown during the 18 days of illegal detention in Jarinje“.
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