"Hague scenario" at work in Kosovo, lawyers say

"Hague scenario" at work in Kosovo, lawyers say

"A scenario used in the Hague tribunal is at work in Kosovo and Metohija - one is arrested first and then evidence is sought against them and an investigation launched," lawyer Toma Fila said at a press conference in northern Kosovska Mitrovica.

"There are indications that this is not a coincidental attack against the dignity of a respected Serb and that the arrests of Serbs will continue," said Fila, who has defended several Serb indictees in the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

In Kosovo "there is an apparent wish to arrest and humiliate respected Serbs" and encourage the Serb population to move out of the province, Fila said, adding that Belgrade must maintain a keen interest in the fate of Ivanović and other arrested Serbs.

Lawyer Nebojša Vlajić could not say when Ivanović's trial could start because, he said, his defense is still not familiar with the investigation conducted by the prosecutor.

"We only know what events Ivanović has been charged in connection with, and we have learned the names of several witnesses from the Pristina Albanian-language press," Vlajić said.

"The prosecutor conducting the investigation refuses to say how many more witnesses he has to hear and what other evidence he wants to obtain in the investigation," he added.

That is another reason why Ivanović should be released pending trial or at least be allowed to prepare his defense in house arrest, Vlajić said.

Ivanović was arrested in late January on suspicion of involvement in crimes committed in Kosovo and Metohija in 1999 and 2000, including an aggravated murder.

Lawyer Ljubomir Pantović said that the events Ivanović has been charged in connection with had already been addressed by the UNMIK judiciary in Kosovo in the trials of Igor Simic and Steva Zigic, who have been acquitted of charges.

In both cases, many witnesses gave detailed accounts of the events, but none accused Oliver Ivanović, Pantović said.

Suddenly, witnesses have emerged 15 years later, but the defense does not know who they are or how many of them there are because the investigation conducted by the prosecutor is shrouded by mystery, Pantović said.

Ivanović's defense and family once again urged that he be released pending trial and said that the Serbian government has provided guarantees that he will be available to Kosovo's judiciary at all times if released.