In Serbia, protesters are accused of changing constitutional order
In Serbia, opposition protests have been going on for nine days (photo: Getty Images)
The Higher Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade (Serbia) charges citizens arrested during protests against the results of parliamentary and local elections with a crime of violent change of the constitutional order, reports Balkan Insight.
This is in addition to charges against protesters for violent behavior at a public event.
The punishment for these crimes can range from 6 months to 5 years in prison.
According to the Serbian prosecutor's office, seven people pleaded guilty and "concluded an agreement on the recognition of [their] criminal offenses with suspended prison sentences and fines which … will be forwarded to the High Court in Belgrade for … confirmation."
It is noted that they agreed on a suspended prison term of 6 months with a probationary period of 2 years and a fine of 20,000 dinars (170 euros) and 10,000 dinars (85 euros).
A representative of the Belgrade prosecutor's office also said that he had proposed additional detention for 11 suspects to prevent them from repeating the same offense within a short time.
The Higher Court in Belgrade decided to keep 4 of the 11 people in custody for a maximum of 30 days, to place 5 more people under house arrest without electronic surveillance, and to release 1 person.
It is also noted that there are some opposition activists among the accused. According to Miroslav Aleksic, one of the leaders of the opposition coalition "Serbia Against Violence," the accusations are completely false.
Representatives of the defense of the accused say that the case looks like an investigation of a political party, and not "a hearing by the prosecution."
Protests in Serbia over election fraud
On December 17, Serbia held early parliamentary and local elections. Vučić announced the victory of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.
After the election results were announced, hundreds of people protested. The opposition considers the elections to be fraudulent and called for the annulment of the results.
It was also reported that OSCE observers claimed government interference in the elections.
In the Serbian capital of Belgrade, people have been protesting against the election results, which they call fraudulent, for several days now.
