"When they were chasing me, I saw that three of them had knives," the witness-injured party said yesterday. Marko Jacimovic at a hearing before the Podgorica Basic Court who, according to the indictment, suffered minor bodily injuries during the incident in Zabjelo, which occurred at the end of October.
The first information that appeared in the public stated that the perpetrators of the incident were Turkish citizens, which caused a stormy public reaction, followed by protest marches and gatherings in Podgorica, where derogatory slogans against Turks could be heard. Because of the whole case, the Government also introduced visas for Turkish citizens, which it recently abolished.
The police later announced that Azerbaijani citizens had been arrested, but in the days that followed, attacks and destruction of property belonging to Turkish citizens were also recorded, for which, according to the Police Directorate, more than 17 people were prosecuted.
According to the indictment, the incident occurred on October 26th at around 00:30 on March 27th Street, in front of the “Komanka” restaurant. According to the indictment, Elchin Musayev i Jalal Musayev They are charged with, together with an unknown person, committing violence in a group and with intent, through insolent and reckless behavior, endangering the peace of citizens and disturbing public order. The prosecution alleges that, after a brief argument with Jaćimović, they physically attacked the injured party, knocked him to the ground and inflicted several blows on him, causing serious bodily injury and serious damage to his health, using knife blades, fists and feet on the head and body, during which Jaćimović sustained minor bodily injuries.
The attackers cannot be described precisely.
Jaćimović described what, according to him, happened that night. He said that he and his friends were sitting in a bar after the game when “four foreign nationals walked by,” who, he claims, were shouting and singing in Turkish.
"I got up to see what it was all about and why such behavior at that hour. After that, they started moving towards me, they managed to knock me to the floor and punch and kick me on my body and head...", said Jaćimović, stating that he managed to get up, but then, as he claims, they started stabbing him with knives, knocked him down again and continued the punches and stabbing.
He said that the second time he managed to get up and run away in the direction of the "green building across the street", after which, as he says, they continued to run after him.
"At one point I saw a large knife when one person tried to stab me in the head, which I managed to avoid. At that time I only saw one knife, and when they were chasing me I saw that three of them had knives," said Jaćimović.
To the judge's questions Borka Lončar Regarding the details, Jaćimović said that he could not describe the attackers precisely beyond what he had previously stated to the prosecutor. He also explained which side of the sidewalk they were on at the moment when, as he says, the foreign citizens were shouting and singing - he claims that they were on the same side as the restaurant where he was staying with his friends.
When asked what he said to them when he approached them, he replied: "I asked if there was a problem. They said there was and spread their arms. That's when the pushing started and a fight broke out."
Jaćimović stated that at first he did not even see the knife because it was bent and on the floor, but he felt the stabs. He said that he received the first stabs and cuts while he was standing bent forward, in the back of his legs, and then while he was on the asphalt, where, as he claims, he received blows and stabs on both his arms and legs.
He also emphasized that he did not notice, nor does he consider it possible, that any of his friends used a knife: "I did not notice and I am sure that none of my friends used a knife."
He said that an unknown young man helped him, who drove him to the ambulance. Jaćimović could not remember the exact color of the car or the name of the person who helped him, stating that he thought the vehicle was gray or black.
He pointed out that he was joining the criminal prosecution and had filed a property claim, as he had previously with the prosecutor.
However, when asked by defense attorney Mitar Šušić, Jaćimović said that he could not confirm with certainty today that the defendants in the courtroom were the same people who attacked him, stating that a lot of time had passed and that there had been "various stories."
"I can't say for sure today... I don't want to comment on that and I'll leave it to the court to determine whether these are the people or not," said the injured party. He added that he had previously, after the incident, identified them and that he was more interested in what happened at the time, but that he would now leave that assessment to the court.
The accused denied the charges.
The accused Elchin Musajev stated that he did not admit the crime and his guilt. He claims that he only took the knife after, as he says, someone from the restaurant brought it out, and that he used it “only to separate the quarreling people”. According to him, that night they were walking along the sidewalk across from the cafe, from where, as he claims, they were shouted at them “Turks, Turks”, which is why they crossed the street.
Musaev also stated that he was injured, and that after that incident, three of his fingers "no longer functioned," meaning that they were unable to bend, noting that he did not know whether his tendons were torn.
He also described the moment when, according to him, he grabbed the blade of the knife with his left hand while standing, and that at one point he fell because he “briefly fainted because of the blood”. Jalal Musayev also said that he did not admit guilt and the crime. He claims that they heard shouting, approached and that an argument started, after which, as he says, someone hit him in the back, so he ran away because he had heart surgery and did not want to get into a fight.
Musaev stated that, seven or eight minutes after the incident, he helped the Afghan, whom he mentions in his statement, bandage his head because he had a cut, and that they then saw on Instagram that "people had risen up", which made them afraid.
"First we set off on foot to leave Montenegro, and then we hitchhiked to Albania," said Musajev, adding that he did not see who used the knife.
During the hearing, the judge also pointed out differences in the defendants' statements, primarily in the part about whether they saw Afgan after the incident. Elchin claims that he did not see him after the incident, while Jalal says that Afgan was briefly in their apartment and that he helped him with his wound. Jalal explained this by claiming that Elchin "probably does not remember" the details because he himself was losing consciousness due to his injuries.
Šušić objected to the minutes and the court interpreter's translation, stating that not a single word spoken by the injured party, nor any questions asked by the court, were translated to the accused, "which raises the question of how they can participate in the proceedings." The defense also announced that it was requesting the direct examination of all witnesses and expert testimony, except for witness Sulejmani Rahim, who is in Azerbaijan, with the defense's consent.
The court decided to hear witnesses at the next hearing, scheduled for January 28th.
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