An ethnic Serb N.V. from Leposavic, who was arrested last month for an alleged attack on journalists, has been granted bail and is expected to be released from custody today, his legal representative, Predrag Miljkovic, confirmed for KoSSev.
The Basic Court accepted the defense’s request to release him on bail.
„The court rejected the prosecution’s request to extend custody by two months because it assessed that there were no conditions to extend custody. The court asked N.V. to attach his travel documents and IDs along with the bail, which we did today. He also promised that he would not change his place of residence,“ Miljkovic said.
N.V. repeated the testimony he had given earlier before the court today.
„The statement he made today was not changed at all from the one he gave earlier. N.V. and I condemn every attack on journalists, and I believe that there is not a single piece of evidence for what he is accused of,“ he added.
N.V. is set to be released in a couple of hours. He is in good condition, and did not experience any problems during his monthlong detention.
According to the Kosovo Interior Ministry, the young man was arrested on June 16th near Leposavic, on suspicion of attacking Kallxo’s property on the 29th of May. Furthermore, and according to the Kosovo Police, he was accused of physically attacking journalists from several media outlets.
After the head of the Kosovo MIA published photos allegedly showing this young man, his friends and lawyer testified for KoSSev that it was a mistake – as the photographs in question showed N.V., with his face visible and unmasked, in the background, behind a masked person at the protest.
The N.V’s lawyer confirmed on the same day that he would submit evidence to the court, including this photograph, in an attempt to set free the young man as soon as possible, although, he warned that, due to the overall situation, he was not „overly optimistic“.
N.V. is charged with three crimes: destruction or damage to property, inciting racial hatred and intolerance, and participation in acts of hooliganism. Immediately after his arrest, he was taken to the detention center in North Mitrovica.
Two days later, on June 18th, he was remanded a month-long detention.
In addition to N.V., there are currently two more Serbs in custody under the same charges, D.S. and U.V.
He is also the second Serb to be released on bail out of the eight ethnic Serbs arrested in the past two months.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
