| Conferenza Partito radicale |
| Partito Radicale Artur
- 3 marzo 2000
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| HUMANITARIAN LAW CENTER COMMUNIQUE PRESEVO MAYOR ON POLITICAL TRIAL 2 March 2000 The Humanitarian Law Center considers that the criminal proceedings against Riza Halimi before the Municipal Court in Presevo are political in nature. Halimi is charged with preventing police officers in the performance of their duty during the demonstrations staged by Presevo high school students on 5 March 1998. Because he was present at the demonstrations, police immediately charged him with a misdemeanor, alleging that he had organized the protest without notifying the appropriate authorities as required. Halimi was never summoned before a magistrate and, under the Serbian Law on Misdemeanors, the statute of limitations expires on 5 March this year. Halimi and four town councilors filed a complaint against Presevo Police Chief Dragan Miti? and several police officers, charging them with beating and unlawfully arresting participants in the demonstrations. The municipal public prosecutor took no action on the complaint |
| and, instead, instituted criminal proceedings against Mayor Halimi on 25 March 1998. When the court convened on 1 March this year, Judge Goran Despotovi? heard the testimonies of four police officers who were among those who intervened at the demonstrations. The only point the officers agreed on was that they were on the scene on 5 March 1998. None was able to describe and name the officer whom Mayor Halimi allegedly "grabbed by the elbow or the lapel of his uniform," nor could they identify their colleague who had brought Halimi in to the police station. One witness stated that Halimi was brought in by a "young officer," another said he was certain that one of his older colleagues had done so, the third pointed to the fourth witness and said the two of them had arrested Halimi, which the officer he pointed out denied. The court adjourned until 29 March when other police officers are scheduled to be heard. |
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