The custody of the ethnic Serb M.M. who was arrested last month in downtown North Mitrovica, has been extended by two months, his lawyer Miodrag Brkljac confirmed for KoSSev.
The lawyer said that the decision issued by Basic Court in Pristina was made on July 11th, adding that he received the decision yesterday morning, only after he asked this court to give an opinion on M.M.’s detention.
„It was only after I intervened that the decision was forwarded to me,“ emphasizes Brkljac.
He specified that the reasons listed in the extension of detention are almost identical to those that were given in the initial decision.
„There are no new elements, the reasons listed are standard ones that they usually include, namely the danger of escape, the danger of influencing the witnesses and the danger of repeating the crime, because for God’s sake his past indicates that he is inclined to commit a criminal act, although he never did anything before,“ said Brkljac.
At the same time, the lawyer points out that they appealed to the Appellate Court, and that they are now waiting for their decision.
„If the Appellate Court were to judge based on the facts and circumstances contained in the case file, then we could rest easy, as the logical thing would be to end his detention and to release him at his own recognizance at least to order house arrest as a milder measure.”
Brkljac points out that he is „moderately optimistic“ about this appeal, adding that the political situation will also have an impact on this decision.
„I’m afraid that the current political situation is such that the court can hardly resist judging based on the facts, as politics itself also has an influence,“ warns Brkljac.
The lawyer added that he visited M.M. yesterday, who is currently detained in the Podujevo detention center, pointing out that his client is feeling well, and that he is convinced that he is not guilty of the things he is accused of.
„He feels fine, he’s very stable both mentally and physically and he’s very brave, not showing any mental problems due to the fact that he’s in custody. He is confident and convinced that justice will prevail and that it will be proven that he did not do what he is accused of,“ emphasizes Brkljac.
The recent report of the liaison officer Dejan Pavicevic revealed that M.M, as well as the other detained Serbs, are highly anxious, and that members of the Kosovo Police „harassed and beat them“ on an „inhumane“ scale in the detention centers. On the other hand, in an interview with KoSSev, the Kosovo Minister of the Interior, Xhelal Svecla, revealed that the Kosovo Police Inspectorate is conducting an investigation into these cases.
M.M. was arrested on June 13th in downtown North Mitrovica in a local hair salon by heavily-armed police forces. The arrest prompted several hundred Serbs to gather in the town center immediately after, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation, while many residents appeared to be visibly frightened.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
