Lawyers Demand Review of Investigation into Lawyer Vladimir Cvijan's Death

A group of lawyers is urging the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade to conduct an extraordinary review of the investigation into the 2018 death of lawyer Vladimir Cvijan. Cvijan was found dead in the Danube River, and the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office (VJT) in Belgrade subsequently closed the case, ruling it a suicide without what critics describe as a proper investigation.

The association "Ustavobranitelji," comprising lawyers Čedomir Kokanović, Jovan Rajić, and Ivan Ninić, received confirmation that their request for an extraordinary review of the VJT's handling of Cvijan's death has been forwarded to the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office. This office is subordinate to the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office but oversees the VJT.

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The Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office is now in a position to conduct an extraordinary review of the actions of the subordinate Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, identify obvious irregularities in the investigation, and finally return the case to legal and institutional frameworks.

Kokanović stated that the autopsy report only confirmed Cvijan drowned but did not rule out murder, suicide, or accident. He expressed concern that a fundamental investigation was never conducted, leading to persistent public suspicions that the VJT may have been involved in a cover-up of a potential murder. The lawyers argue that the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office now has the opportunity to rectify these "obvious irregularities" and bring the case back within legal and institutional frameworks.

"Ustavobranitelji" hopes the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office will have the courage to acknowledge the serious flaws in the investigation, which they believe are widely known in Serbia. They are also concerned about potential political interference, suggesting that "strong interests outside the judiciary, but within the political sphere, have been preventing the truth from being established for eight years." The lawyers are calling on other social actors and media to join them in demanding a full investigation into Cvijan's death, asserting that a true democracy requires uncovering the truth.

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We call on all social actors and the media to also ask the authorities about this case and demand the establishment of the full truth about Vladimir Cvijan's death, because we cannot build a truly democratic society if we do not bring the truth to light once and for all.