Environmental rights protests & activists continue to come under attack, 1 November 2022

...Environmental activists from Majdanpek, who have been protesting for months on the nearby Starica mountain to stop further mining operations by the ZiJin company, have been subjected to police torture, including beatings, confession by coercion, and denial of contact with lawyers and family members. According to the information from Civic Initiatives, obtained from activists on the ground in Majdanpek, two activists were in custody in Negotin and have not been able to get in touch with their lawyers. According to eyewitnesses, they were taken to the local police station on 27th September 2022 for questioning and later were seen being brought by police officers to the local Health Centre with visible injuries and in a serious condition where they could not walk independently.

Activist Dragan Dmitrović publicly testified that police officers hit him on the head and back, that he was threatened with death and that he was forced to sign a false confession incriminating three other activists for the events on Mount Starica on 24th September 2022, when an employee of the company ZiJin was attacked. In connection with the case, the "Three Freedoms" Platform also reacted and called on institutions, including the Ombudsman, to hold the perpetrators to account, investigate allegations of police torture and ensure transparency about the condition of the activists. A request to initiate a procedure for controlling the work of police officers was also sent to the Ombudsman.

On 4th October 2022, the Bor Police Department announced that a criminal complaint would be filed against Dragan Dmitrović for causing panic and disorder after he publicised information about the violence that he suffered during interrogation at the police station in Majdanpek on 29th September 2022. The statement said that Dmitrović was interrogated at the police station on 3rd October 2022, regarding these claims, and was then referred to the Health Centre in Majdanpek, where no injuries were confirmed...