Trial for the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, the witness says that there are criminal groups in the north of Mitrovica but for his safety I can not mention them

Witness I.Ç stated that there are criminal groups in the Municipality of North Mitrovica, but for reasons of his personal security he cannot say their names.

He said this at the trial of Marko Rosic, Nedeljko Spasojevic, Dragisa Markovic, Zarko Jovanovic, Silvana Arsovic and Rade Basara, accused of involvement in the murder of Serbian politician, now deceased Oliver Ivanovic in January 2018.

In Thursday’s session in the Special Department of the Basic Court in Prishtina, witness I.Ç was heard, who, answering the questions of the Special Prosecutor, Burim Qerkini, stated that there are criminal groups in the North of the country, but for reasons of his safety he has decided not to say their names.

At the session of August 30, 2021, the presiding judge, Judge Valon Kurtaj, had decided that the statements of the witnesses should not be published, in order not to damage the trial process.

Such a request was repeated by Judge Kurtaj in previous hearings, who had warned the media to leave if the data of witnesses and their statements continue to be published.

Otherwise, before the beginning of the hearing, a person, who declared himself a journalist, took some pictures, where the prosecutor Qerkini asked the police in the courtroom to take the phone of this person and give it to the court as soon as he enters the courtroom. .

The presiding judge, Judge Kurtaj, asked this Serbian journalist to delete all the photos he took of the accused and his lawyers, because according to the judge, he has no right to take photos and video recordings of the accused without the permission of the trial panel.

He also said that the statement of the witness that was heard at the last hearing, was published in full by some media and that this, according to Judge Kurtaj, is damaging the trial.

Judge Kurtaj said that he had listed the names of the media that published these statements and that he would address this to the media regulator, because according to him, despite the remarks that the statements of witnesses were not published in full, they are continuing to are published.

The next hearings in this case are scheduled for January 18, 19 and 20, 2022, where other witnesses are expected to be heard.