Budimlje-Niksic bishop Joanikije has not been allowed to visit Mihailo Cadjenovic in the Institute for the Enforcement of Criminal Sanctions (ZIKS) today, New Serb Democracy (NOVA) has stated. Cadjenovic has been in custody on suspicion that he was involved in organising terrorist attacks on election day, 16 October.
NOVA claims that the court approved Joanikije’s visit to Cadjenovic.
“Namely, as Cadjenovic wished and asked, bishop Joanikije has come to ZIKS this morning, after he agreed with Mihailo’s parents and obtained court’s approval for the extraordinary visit. He ended up in an unpleasant situation there because it took some time for the staff to ‘remember who Cadjenovic was’ and then they concluded that the bishop Joanikije might have visited the inmate yesterday, but not today,” the party said in a statement.
NOVA claims that this was the second case of violating Cadjenovic’s rights guaranteed by the Constitution. As it said, the first case occurred “during the violent bringing him from of ZIKS to the High Court on 5 May 2017, which the Ministry of Justice tried to cover up and hide from the public”.
“The discomfort that was created in this deplorable situation, when the bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church was prevented from meeting innocently imprisoned Cadjenovic, can be best described by a question that bishop Joanikije had to ask the representatives of the government at the ZIKS entrance: Do you want to arrest me as well because I came to visit the inmate?,” NOVA stated.
