Lawyers' Group Accuses Prosecutor's Office of Obstructing Truth in Cvijan Death Case

The association "Ustavobranitelji" (Constitutional Defenders) has condemned the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office (VJT) in Belgrade, labeling its recent statement as "an open insult to the intelligence of the public in Serbia and an obvious obstruction of the truth" regarding the death of lawyer Vladimir Cvijan.

Cvijan, a former official of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), died in 2018. The VJT recently stated that his death was due to drowning, a conclusion also reached in the initial autopsy report in 2021. However, "Ustavobranitelji," whose board includes lawyers Čedomir Kokanović, Jovan Rajić, and Ivan Ninić, argues that the VJT has not clarified who or what caused the drowning.

The association outlined three possibilities: murder by third parties, suicide, or an accident. They accuse the VJT of pushing the "accident" narrative, citing the prosecution's repeated mention of Cvijan's alleged intoxication, which they liken to the discredited explanation for a helicopter crash blamed on the pilot. "Ustavobranitelji" asserts that without a thorough investigation, the VJT cannot definitively determine the cause of death.

They question how the prosecution could decide against an investigation for a lawyer who had allegedly received threats from the president of the country. The association also points to a "conspiracy of silence," an unmarked grave, and persistent, "nonsensical" statements from the VJT. They specifically challenge the VJT's claim about a head wound being the size of an olive pit, questioning how it could be from a pistol barrel of the same size. "Ustavobranitelji" demands the truth about Cvijan's "murder" and vows to pursue justice until those responsible are punished.

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Ustavobranitelji u ime građana Srbije zahtevaju istinu o ubistvu Vladimira Cvijana i neće se zaustaviti dok istina ne izađe na videlo i odgovorni ne budu kažnjeni.