English

Indictment confirmed; Knezevic: We are sacrificed for the sake of NATO

The High Court in Podgorica confirmed the indictment of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) filed against the leaders of Democratic Front (DF) Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic in the coup case.

At today’s press conference organised on this occasion, DF representatives said that the indictment had been confirmed long ago upon PM Dusko Markovic’s order and that the whole process was fabricated.

New Serb Democracy (NOVA) official Emilio Labudovic said that the indictment was not confirmed today, but that indictments and pressures against DF and his party were continuously issued.

“These are Markovic’s futile attempts to finish the thing Milo Djulanovic has started… They cannot intimidate us and they cannot intimidate the people of Montenegro,” said Labudovic.

The leader of Democratic People’s Party (DNP) Milan Knezevic said that Markovic had already announced that the indictment would be confirmed in his interview with Russian pranksters.

“It only remains to ask Markovic about the sentence we will serve because it is obvious that this is a political process. They decided to sacrifice Mandic and me for the sake of NATO,” Knezevic said.

They pointed out that the High Court issued a deficient statement announcing that the indictment had been validated.

“It is obvious that courts are afraid of Milivoje Katnic but we will not back down,” Knezevic said.

DF leader Nebojsa Medojevic said that DPS was chasing DF and fabricating cases against it because it did not like their ideology.

“They want to send us to prison. Only dictatorial regimes persecute political leaders and fabricate court cases against them. We only say that we are proud of the processes against us, as many dissidents who fought for freedom,” said Medojevic.

The Council of the Higher Court in Podgorica confirmed the SDT’s indictment against Sh. V. E. for criminal association, attempted terrorism and attempted criminal offense of preparing acts against the constitutional order and security of Montenegro committed by abetting the crimes, the court announced.

The court added that the indictments were also issued against P.N.V. for creating criminal organisation and attempted terrorism; against D.B., B.P. and R.N. for creating criminal organisation and attempted terrorism by aiding the crimes; against J.M., H.K., M.B., D.M., M.D., Đ.S., Č.M., M.A. and K.M. for creating criminal organisation.

The case will be forwarded to the trial judge today and the hearing will be scheduled within the legal deadline of two months.

In addition to the DF leaders, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office’s (SDT) indictment includes two Russian nationals Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov; Serbian citizens Milos Jovanovic, Nemanja Ristic, Predrag Bogicevic, Bratislav Dikic, Kristina Hristic, Branka Milic, Milan Dusic, Dragan Maksic, Srboljub Djordjevic; and DF driver Mihailo Cadjenovic.

DF translator/interpreter Ananije Nino Nikic has been charged in a separate case.

According to the indictment, on 16 October last year a coup was prevented in Montenegro.

Defendants in the coup case said that the charges were unfounded and arbitrary and that it should be returned to SDT for complementing, in order for the evidence to be better understood. Some of them even demanded rejecting it due to lack of evidence.

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