Ivanović remains in Priština due to appeal

Ivanović remains in Priština due to appeal

Earlier, an international judge of the Basic Court in Kosovska Mitrovica ordered him transferred from the detention unit in Priština, after his lawyer filed a request.

On Thursday, his lawyer Nebojša Vlajić said that leader of the SDP list and candidate for mayor will be transferred from a detention unit in Priština to northern Kosovska Mitrovica.

"An EULEX judge ordered the transfer because Ivanović, his family and I as his lawyer have encountered many problems," Vlajić said in a statement to Tanjug.

He added that it is the "first small step" towards ensuring safety for Ivanović and keeping his life out of the danger it has been in until now.

Ivanović is a candidate for mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica in the February 23 elections has been in detention since January 27.

He was arrested on suspicion of involvement in an alleged war crime in 1999 and post-war incidents in 2000, including an aggravated murder, and for inciting to ethnically motivated murder.

Following Ivanović's arrest, leaders of political parties and institutions in northern Kosovska Mitrovica as well as the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo have demanded from the Priština judiciary that he be released pending trial.

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić protested Ivanović's arrest in the strongest of terms before the UN Security Council on February 10.

He said that the arrest took place just before the mayoral elections in northern Kosovska Mitrovica and demanded his release.

On the same day, the Serbian government provided guarantees that Ivanović and three other Serbs will be available to the EULEX mission throughout their trials.