The beginning of the trial for the criminal offense of extorting a statement in the police from the victim Benjamin Mugoša, which was supposed to take place today in the Basic Court in Podgorica, has been postponed for the third time.
Action for Human Rights (HRA) announced that Mugoša, Marko Boljević and Jovan Grujičić suffered police torture in May 2020 during the investigation of the "bomb attacks" on the house of civil servant Duško Golubović and the Grand bar.
As they state, Dalibor Ljekočević was accused of extorting a statement from Mugoša, who was also accused of committing the same crime against Marko Boljević. No one has yet been charged with the torture of Grujičić.
"The trial was postponed due to the justified absence of the acting prosecutor Nađa Martinović and the accused Ljekočević. The hearing was not attended by two witnesses, who, although duly summoned, did not justify their absence. The trial did not even begin, even though Mugoša was brutally abused in CB Podgorica on May 26, 2020. more than two and a half years have passed. The start of the trial was postponed for the first time on October 3, and then on November 16, 2022, due to the defendant's absence. The defendant justified today's absence by the consequences of the traffic accident. Judge Ivana Becić ordered the expert examination of the submitted medical documentation which will determine whether the defendant, despite his injuries, was still able to attend today's hearing or not".
HRA adds that the hearing has been postponed to February 20.
"In the case of extorting a statement accompanied by severe violence from Marko Boljević, the beginning of the trial of five accused police inspectors, including Dalibor Ljekočević, was also postponed three times. For extorting a statement from Jovan Grujičić, who was wrongly accused of planting explosives, and who In the meantime, no one has been charged, although international experts have determined that he was also a victim of abuse. Action for Human Rights follows these criminal proceedings and advocates for effective punishment of torture. We believe that the State Prosecutor's Office is obliged to thoroughly investigate the responsibility of the police officers who were the superiors of the immediate perpetrators in these cases and who coordinated the investigation," the statement said. HRA.
Bonus video:
