Silence still reigns over Savamala and the “Gazela” bridge in Belgrade, where there were wrecking crews in the election night. The authorities still have no answers as to who has demolished a multitude of objects and on whose authority. The entire operation was assisted by people with hoods over their heads who, according to witnesses, were waylaying all passers-by.
However, there are some indications that we might get answers to some of these questions. It was confirmed for N1 that the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office has all relevant information pertaining to this case from the police.
Dredges are once again in Hercegovacka Street. Sanitation workers are cleaning up in the aftermath of last night’s action of unknown individuals and their machines.
The geyser from the damaged water pipe – the colleagues from the City Waterworks will see to that. This is the same street in which a number of objects have been demolished during the election night. There is still no word on this from anyone.
“The competent authorities need to react firstly by inquiring why MIA wasn’t on the scene if there were reports about what was happening in the field. The city also needs to provide a clear explanation about what exactly happened that night, who abused their authority and how did we get to the point at which people feel unsafe because of people with hoods appearing in the streets”, says Milan Antonijevic from YUCOM.
Balsa Bozovic brought the Mayor a hood as a present, but not without difficulties. It was only after short negotiations that he managed to enter the building, only without cameras.
The public can expect first official information on Monday. So says the ombudsman Sasa Jankovic, who is conducting a special audit of the police regarding this case. In the meantime the case is moving from the field of security and human rights to the domain of politics.
“We asked the Mayor to consult his party colleagues so they can decide who organized and who perpetrated this criminal offense. It is obvious that someone’s interests were involved and that bands of masked hooligans were organized on someone’s behalf and in someone’s interest and it is my view that the public has the right to know why they were disturbed and humiliated”, says Balsa Bozovic of the DP.
Similar questions are being asked across town by other opposition parties.
“Sasa Mirkovic claimed, as he was leaving the SPP, that SPP has its own police and army. I wonder that police was acting as the wrecking crew that night after the elections”, says Janko Veselinovic from the Turnabout Movement.
However, this story shouldn’t be sequestered to the political arena. It was confirmed for N1 that the Higher Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade is finally looking into this case.
The Mayor of Belgrade Sinisa Mali does not want to comment the Hercegovacka case and is, in his own words, leaving the matter to the state authorities. Last Sunday the President of the City Assembly Nikola Nikodijevic didn’t want to make any comments either since it was Easter. He hasn’t been answering telephone calls or text messages since then.
It would seem that only the prosecutor’s office, which claims it requested all relevant information pertaining to this case from the police, will react to any of this and they said they will issue a statement once their inquiries are concluded. When this might be is unknown.
