Serbian opposition politician, Nikola Sandulović, was released on Monday from pre-trial detention in the southern city of Niš, Serbia, announced his defense lawyer, Čedomir Stojković, adding that this decision was made “under increased pressure” from Western countries.
“Nikola Sandulović has just been released… to defend himself against accusations that he placed flowers near the grave of an Albanian girl,” wrote Stojković on the social network X.
📢 Nikola Sandulović @Sandulovic_N je upravo pušten iz zatvora, da se brani sa slobode od optužbe da je "položio cveće na grob albanske devojčice".
Odluka dolazi samo sat vremena nakon što je Parlamentarna skupština Saveta Evrope pozvala na njegovo hitno puštanje.
Odluka o… https://t.co/N1IFBQOap2 pic.twitter.com/Iqr8gr7cYu
— Advokat Čedomir Stojković ☘️🇷🇸🇺🇦🌏 (@FIGHT_4_RIGHT_S) January 15, 2024
Former chief of Serbia’s Security and Information Agency (BIA), Aleksandar Vulin, stated on January 6 that Sandulović was arrested on his order because he had placed a wreath of flowers in the village of Prekaz in Skenderaj, where Serbian forces attacked the homes of the Jashari family, killing over 50 members of the family in 1998 during the Kosovo War.
Earlier, the Prosecutor’s Office in Niš had confirmed to Radio Free Europe that Sandulović had been in pre-trial detention since January 5, under suspicion “of committing a criminal act of incitement to hatred and national, racial, and religious intolerance”.
On January 2, Sandulović posted a video on the social network X where he was seen in the “Adem Jashari” complex in Prekaz laying flowers at the monument commemorating the events of March 5, 6, and 7, 1998, when Serbian forces killed over 50 members of the Adem Jashari family, one of the founders of the former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
Stojković described the Serbian authorities’ decision to arrest him as politically motivated, done “after he was beaten”.
This decision came just hours after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe called for his release.
There were reactions in Kosovo to his arrest and suspicions of mistreatment, with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti stating that he felt “concerned”.
“This is happening after he asked for forgiveness for the crimes committed by Serbia during the genocidal campaign in Kosovo. This indescribable brutality represents the toll that the Serbian Government imposes on its citizens for having the courage to accept the truth and strive for reconciliation,” Kurti wrote in a social media post on January 5.
Serbian authorities have denied allegations that Sandulović was beaten and mistreated during his arrest on January 3.
The Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade stated on January 11 that, based on the evidence gathered so far, there is “no evidence of convincing and clear proof” that Sandulović was mistreated.
Sandulović is the president of the Republican Party, founded in 2015, but has not surpassed the electoral threshold to enter the Serbian Parliament.
He has a controversial biography, including his injury in a car explosion 13 years ago and his arrest for “spreading panic” in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.
On January 11, The Guardian reported that Sandulović’s family, claiming that he was beaten by the Serbian secret police during detention, said that he was partially paralyzed as a result of the attack.
Meanwhile, European Union institutions confirmed on January 9 that they are monitoring the situation and information related to Sandulović’s arrest.
