Selaković Appears in Court for 'Generalštab' Case Amid Student Protest

Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković arrived at the Special Court with his lawyers for the continuation of the "Generalštab" case. Students protested outside the building.

“

The proceedings are politically motivated and have three aims: to degrade and discredit state officials, create internal institutional instability, and enable political changes outside the legally established procedure.

So far, only Minister Selaković has presented his defense. Today, other defendants are expected to respond to the indictment: Slavica Jelača, secretary of the Ministry of Culture; Goran Vasić, acting director of the Republican Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments; and Aleksandar Ivanović, acting director of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Belgrade. All have denied guilt.

Selaković, who presented his defense at the previous hearing, claimed the proceedings are politically motivated. He stated the case has three aims: to degrade and discredit state officials, create internal institutional instability, and enable political changes outside legal procedures. He alleged a "naked cooperation between TOK and carefully selected media houses" is at play. Selaković claimed that before the indictment, opposition media published 1,583 negative articles about him. He also alleged that the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime provided investigation details to selected opposition members.

“

There is naked cooperation between TOK and carefully selected media houses.

Selaković further stated that prosecutor's associate Rade Bajić, who questioned his associates, participated in protests and demonstrations. He claimed the prosecution initiated the case based on an anonymous email tip, identifying Dubravka Đukanović, former director of the Republican Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, and her deputy Estela Radonjić Živkov as the individuals behind the complaint. Slavica Jelača, Selaković's associate and a co-defendant, requested to present her defense at the next hearing to avoid interruptions, as the trial is scheduled to conclude early due to courtroom unavailability.

“

The prosecution initiated the case based on an anonymous tip that arrived by email.