"Hague scenario" at work in Kosovo, Ivanovic's defence says

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - The legal team defending Oliver Ivanovic, the leader of the Citizens' Initiative Serbia, Democracy, Justice (SDP) warned on Monday that a "Hague scenario" is now at work in Kosovo-Metohija and that the investigation is not being conducted in a transparent manner.

"A scenario used in the Hague tribunal is at work in Kosovo-Metohija - one is arrested first and then evidence is sought against them and an investigation launched," lawyer Toma Fila said at a press conference in northern Kosovska Mitrovica.

"There are indications that this is not a coincidental attack against the dignity of a respected Serb and that the arrests of Serbs will continue," said Fila, who has defended several Serb indictees in the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

In Kosovo-Metohija "there is an apparent wish to arrest and humiliate respected Serbs" and encourage the Serb population to move out of the province, Fila said, adding that Belgrade must maintain a keen interest in the fate of Ivanovic and other arrested Serbs.

Lawyer Nebojsa Vlajic could not say when Ivanovic's trial could start because, he said, his defence is still not familiar with the investigation conducted by the prosecutor.

"We only know what events Ivanovic has been charged in connection with, and we have learned the names of several witnesses from the Pristina Albanian-language press," Vlajic said.

"The prosecutor conducting the investigation refuses to say how many more witnesses he has to hear and what other evidence he wants to obtain in the investigation," he added.

That is another reason why Ivanovic should be released pending trial or at least be allowed to prepare his defence in house...