The beginning of the trial for the criminal offense of extorting a statement followed by severe police violence against the victim Marko Boljević, which was supposed to take place today in the Basic Court in Podgorica, has been postponed for the fourth time, the Action for Human Rights (HRA) announced.
"Boljević, Benjamin Mugoša 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. Criminal inspectors Danilo Grbović, Dalibor Ljekočević, Bojan Vujačić were accused of extorting testimony from Boljević. , Ivan Peruničić and Nemanja Vujošević. Ljekočević was accused in another case of committing the same crime against Benjamin Mugoša, while no one has yet been charged with the torture of Grujičić," the announcement states.
The trial was postponed due to the absence of the accused Ljekočević, who was excused for medical reasons. The HRA also states that the witnesses did not appear today either, for whom there is no evidence that they were duly summoned.
"At the previous hearing, defense lawyers requested the exemption of acting prosecutor Romina Vlahović, as well as the entire Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica. These requests have meanwhile been rejected as unfounded. The trial has been postponed to March 6, 2023. This means that the start of this trial will be delayed by at least six months, considering that it was originally scheduled for September 15, 2022. Action for Human Rights follows these criminal proceedings and advocates for the effective punishment of torture. We believe that the State Prosecutor's Office is obliged to thoroughly investigate the responsibility of the police leaders who were the superiors of the immediate perpetrators in these cases and who coordinated the investigation. The court is obliged to take care that the procedure is carried out efficiently, while respecting the right to a trial within a reasonable time," the HRA statement said.
Bonus video:
