Vladimir Prijovic, the President of the Belgrade Bar Association (AKB), warned Wednesday evening that a wave of arrests and police raids on the eve of the election raises serious doubts and suggests the political weaponization of law enforcement and prosecutors.
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“The timing of these police operations, arrests, and searches as the election campaign enters its final stretch is something we cannot simply ignore. It is particularly alarming if these actions - by generating an atmosphere akin to a state of emergency and alleging a threat to national security - are an attempt to frame students and the people supporting them as a threat to public safety and the constitutional order,” Prijovic said.
Prijovic questioned whether these operations are the result of independent and professional actions by relevant authorities, or if there is an ongoing attempt to exploit policing and judicial mechanisms to serve the ruling party’s campaign strategy.
“Instead of the public debating the ideas, values, and reforms advocated by the student movement, attention is being deflected toward spectacular arrests and raids. This shifts the focus in a way that allows for their political disqualification while intimidating voters just days before the election,” Prijovic said.
He recalled that the Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office strictly prohibits any undue influence on prosecutors in the execution of their duties.
“This prohibition is not a mere formality. It is one of the foundational guarantees ensuring that criminal prosecutions are conducted strictly in the public interest, rather than in the interest of any political faction,” Prijovic emphasized.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (VJT) in Belgrade announced that five people had been arrested in Novi Sad. The coordinated operation was carried out on the orders of the Belgrade VJT, in conjunction with the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad and the Security Intelligence Agency (BIA). According to the prosecution, the suspects are held on “suspicion of planning acts of violence and riots in Belgrade on election day, October 25.”
Teme