We have set a precedent! KROKODIL activists have concluded SLAPP proceedings in their favor

11 Apr We have set a precedent! KROKODIL activists have concluded SLAPP proceedings in their favor

Dear friends,

We would like to inform you that we have successfully concluded the proceedings held before the Misdemeanor Court regarding the civil action of cleaning and painting the park at Mitićeva Rupa on February 18, 2023, when activists and citizens painted over the graffiti that read, “When the army returns to Kosovo…”.

From this, we can conclude that we were right in our decision not to silently accept guilt and to oppose the persecution by state authorities that have taken on the role of protectors of those who promote violence and apply it in public spaces, retaliating against those who legitimately exercise their constitutionally and legally guaranteed rights.

Among other things, we succeeded in changing judicial practice, so today our position is accepted that it is not a violation and does not damage the appearance of a building “if a graffiti written on a white wall is painted over with white paint.” This may seem absurd, but it took us a lot of effort to convince the presiding judges and eventually the entire first-instance and Appellate Court that they were misinterpreting the regulations. We have set a precedent.

The fact that we convinced the court is clearly demonstrated by several first-instance and second-instance decisions in our favor, as well as the fact that in other cases, judges allowed the statute of limitations to apply.

These rulings further confirm that the misdemeanor charges against citizens who refuse to accept warmongering messages as normal, are an abuse of institutions for political purposes. It also proves that activism should not be abandoned for fear of institutional repression, but should be fought for using all available legal means.

We remind you that the KROKODIL Association, together with the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, organized a registered civic action to clean the area in the park at Mitićeva Rupa in Belgrade’s Slavija Square, including painting over the wall that featured the graffiti, “When the army returns to Kosovo.” However, by the next morning, new graffiti appeared along with a large number of threats that activists and citizens received via social media in the following days. In addition to the threats, the activists received numerous misdemeanor charges when a significant number of them decided not to pay these fines but rather defend their innocence in court. The gathering was secured by police, while a representative from the Communal police tried in every possible way to prevent the action in their presence.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to our attorney Miloš Janković, who actively carried out a series of advocacy campaigns during the two-year processes to highlight all aspects of the illegal persecution of activists, the consequences, and the value of democratic struggle through institutions and legal mechanisms.

LIST OF TEN UNSUCCESSFUL PERSECUTIONS OF KROKODIL ACTIVISTS
SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED PROCEEDINGS, THE COURT DID NOT ISSUE CONVICTING JUDGMENTS:

Postupci sudskog odlučivanja po prekršajnim nalozima Komunalne milicije:
prekršaj iz čl.64g st.1 Odluke o komunalnom redu

1. Berić Milena, predmet 119 Pr 8653/23, sudija Sanja Đorđević, , Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
– pravosnažno presuđeno, oslobođena od odgovornosti

2. Milan Adnađ, predmet 93 Pr 19941/23, sudija ViloletaPrijović, Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
–pravosnažno presuđeno, oslobođen od odgovornosti

3. Tamara Marković, predmet 83 Pr23730/23, sudija ZoranCvjetkovic, Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
–po žalbi ukinuta osuđujuća prvostepena presuda, pa nastupila zastarelost postupka

4. Tijana Spasić, predmet 57 Pr20583/23, sudija SvetlanaPrica, Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
–nastupila zastarelost postupka

prekršaj iz čl.51 st.2 t.4 Zakona o komunalnoj miliciji

5. Berić Milena, predmet 95 Pr 19943/23, sudija Danijela Bujić, Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
–nastupila zastarelost postupka

6. Milan Adnađ, predmet 85 Pr19940/23, sudija BrankaMikanović, Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
–nastupila zastarelost postupka

7. Vladimir Arsenijević, predmet 62 Pr 21984/23, sudija Dragana Đukić, Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
–nastupila zastarelost postupka

Postupci suda po zahtevima MUP-a (Policije) za pokretanje prekršajnog postupka
prekršaj iz čl.84 i 248 Zakona o javnom radu i miru

8. Milan Adnađ, predmet 59 Pr 20416/23, sudija Ljiljana Pajić, Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
–nastupila zastarelost postupka

9. Vladimir Arsenijević, predmet 62 Pr 20575/23, sudija Dragana Đukić, Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
–nastupila zastarelost postupka

prekršaj iz čl.30 st 1 t.2 Zakona o ličnoj karti

10. Berić Milena, predmet 62 Pr 20568/23, sudija Dragana Đukić, Prekršajni sud u Beogradu
–nastupila zastarelost postupka