15/01/2024 Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The General Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on political prisoners, Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), today issued a statement concerning the alleged ill-treatment and detention of Nikola Sandulović, leader of the Serbian Republican Party:
“According to Mr Sandulović’s family, he was taken from his home by agents of the Serbian security service and badly beaten. It is alleged that this was a form of punishment for expressing regrets over the death of Adem Jashari, a founder of the Kosovo* Liberation Army who was killed by Serbian police in 1998 along with 57 members of his family during the Kosovo War.
I was shocked to hear about the condition in which Mr Sandulović returned home – partially paralysed and transported on a stretcher. Despite his visible injuries, he was subsequently detained on remand for 30 days and charged with inciting national, racial or religious hatred.
I call on the Serbian authorities to abide by their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, in particular by carrying out a swift, effective and independent investigation into the serious allegations of Mr Sandulović’s ill-treatment by State agents and by guaranteeing his access to proper medical care.
Prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment, as well as freedom of expression, are fundamental values in any democratic society. I expect the Serbian authorities to fully comply with their international human rights obligations.”
*Reference to Kosovo shall be understood in full compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.