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District Court Nis, (the dislocated Pristina District Court)
September 14th, 2000
In the Nis District Court began the main hearing at the retrial to Flora
Brovina, after the Supreme Court decision to set aside the ruling of last
December sentencing her to 12 years of imprisonment for seditious
conspiracy, art. 136 Yugoslav Criminal Law (at least 10 years of
imprisonment) in conjunction with terrorism during the state of war, art.
125, Yugoslav Criminal Law (from 1-10 years), culpable according to art
139 (at least ten years). According to the decision of the Supreme Court,
the original verdict was set aside and returned to the resumed trial and
so a new trial begun under the same indictment.
The Court panel was presided by Judge Marina Milanovic, the prosecuting
attorney was Miodrag Surla, and defense lawyer's are Zivojin Jokanovic,
Rajko Danilovic, Branko Stanic i Milan Stanic.
After opening of the main hearing, the defense lawyers said that neither
the accused nor her defenders (except Mr. Jokanovic) had received the
decision on squashing of the Supreme Court's ruling and therefore she was
unable to learn the explanation of the same. President of the Court panel,
Judge Marina Milanovic explained the mistake as the mistake of the
writing-room. Then Flora Brovina said that she had learnt about the
retrial from daily newspapers and that lawyer Husnija Bitic had told her
that he had been told that they had not time to make a copy of it and that
later the judge had taken a holiday leave, which the judge denied. Flora
Brovina also asked the president of the court panel to enable her that she
has writing material in her prison cell.
At the request of the accused, the court approved a 30-minute break. In
conversation with lawyer Nikola barovic we heard that Jiri Dintsbir had
sent regards to all the present, Mrs. Brovina and the president of the
court panel and had told that he hoped the justice would win and Mrs
Brovina released. Mr. Barovic also informed the prosecutor Mr. Surla that
he would be mentioned in the UN report because of the violation of human
dignity because Mrs Brovina suffers from coronary disease but she had had
to stand while the indictment had been read, although neither the law nor
operating regulations the prosecutor referred to, obligated so. In
conversation with Mr. Surla, we tried to find out on what the evidence
against the accused was based and he replied: "On her confession". As the
accused admitted only participation in protests, we asked him whether he
protested because of something or whether he would protest and he replied
with a smile that he constantly protested because of his wage and that he
was not sure about the rest, although we are not sure what the rest is. He
also received a gift from Mrs. Natasa Kandic- an Otpor badge.
In the resumption, after the defense request, the trial was postponed as
the accused and her defense had not been introduced with the decision of
the Supreme court. The Court ordered the Pozarevac prison authorities to
supply Flora Brovina with writing material.
The trail was attended by Natasa Kandic and Mojca Sivert, Fund for
humanitarian right, Nikola Barovic and Barbara Davis, UN High Commissioner
for human rights, Flora Brovina's husband, Radmila Lazic, and reporters
from independent media, Radio Free Europe, The Voice of America (in
Albanian) and many reporters and cameramen in front of the court building
in Nis.
The date of summons is scheduled for December 12th, 2000
Belgrade, September 15th, 2000