DS party forms "team for protection of its members"

BELGRADE The Democratic Party (DS) has formed a legal team for protection of its members across Serbia, the opposition party announced on Friday. The team will help protect those members of the party - which was ousted from power in the May parliamentary elections - "in cases of political persecution and media misrepresentation", said the Democrats. DS party forms "team for protection of its members" DS official Jelena Trivan said at a press conference, which presented the team, that "a serious purge is underway aimed at people of different views, which has been transferred from the state to the local level.". As she put it, it is impossible to be the opposition in today's conditions, "as the fight against corruption has turned into a cloak for the fight against unlike-minded persons". “The DS is offering full support to the fight against corruption, but unfortunately the data show that this fight has elements of political purge,” Trivan said. For instance, although the Criminal Code prohibits comments on trials and declaring someone guilty before he is presented with a verdict, only during the last month the media released 30 articles labeling certain DS officials as guilty, while seven of the articles even proscribed exact penalties, Trivan said. She added that it was "realistic for the media to work independently from the government, which did not only fail to refute the information, but also got involved in commenting on it". “For example, the information that (former PM) Mirko Cvetkovic had fled the country has not been refuted by the police although he has a 24-hour police protection, and therefore the story about the former prime minister who is hiding from the investigation bodies remained unchanged,” she added. Speaking about the abuse of office case against former minister Oliver Dulic, she said that he "responded to the call of the Prosecutor's Office, adding that competent bodies are yet to see whether a procedure will be instituted", adding that in such a case "a number of laws will be violated including the Information Law, the Criminal Code, and the Constitution". Jelena Trivan (file) Tanjug

DS party forms "team for protection of its members"

DS official Jelena Trivan said at a press conference, which presented the team, that "a serious purge is underway aimed at people of different views, which has been transferred from the state to the local level.".

As she put it, it is impossible to be the opposition in today's conditions, "as the fight against corruption has turned into a cloak for the fight against unlike-minded persons".

“The DS is offering full support to the fight against corruption, but unfortunately the data show that this fight has elements of political purge,” Trivan said.

For instance, although the Criminal Code prohibits comments on trials and declaring someone guilty before he is presented with a verdict, only during the last month the media released 30 articles labeling certain DS officials as guilty, while seven of the articles even proscribed exact penalties, Trivan said.

She added that it was "realistic for the media to work independently from the government, which did not only fail to refute the information, but also got involved in commenting on it".

“For example, the information that (former PM) Mirko Cvetković had fled the country has not been refuted by the police although he has a 24-hour police protection, and therefore the story about the former prime minister who is hiding from the investigation bodies remained unchanged,” she added.

Speaking about the abuse of office case against former minister Oliver Dulić, she said that he "responded to the call of the Prosecutor's Office, adding that competent bodies are yet to see whether a procedure will be instituted", adding that in such a case "a number of laws will be violated including the Information Law, the Criminal Code, and the Constitution".