Ombudsman Asks Serbian Counterpart to Look into Backi Petrovac Incident

Bratislava, 12 August (TASR) - Ombudsman Robert Dobrovodsky has contacted his Serbian counterpart Zoran Pasalic by phone and letter, asking for an investigation into the police's procedure in the Serbian town of Backi Petrovac in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina during what reportedly occurred during the Slovak National Festivities in the town over the weekend, the ombudsman's spokesman Branislav Gigac told TASR on Tuesday. "The ombudsman has expressed serious concerns over allegations that the local police failed to intervene and protect the victims during the attacks. In addition, the police allegedly blocked access roads into the town on the next day, preventing people from coming and supporting the organisers of the exhibition," said Gigac. Dobrovodsky stressed that the accusations raise serious questions about the impartiality of the police and respect for the rule of law. "The reported inaction of the police and their alleged subsequent move to block access to the town raise serious questions about their neutrality and respect for due process," he said. The Slovak public defender of rights wrote the letter in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding and in the spirit of the ongoing positive cooperation and communications between the institutions of the Slovak and Serbian ombudsmen. The addendum to the Memorandum was signed during Dobrovodsky's visit to Serbia in August. "I've asked my counterpart Zoran Pasalic for an official investigation into the actions and procedures of the police officers involved. The findings will be invaluable in clarifying the facts and ensuring that the rule of law is upheld for all citizens, including the Slovak national minority in the Republic of Serbia," he stated. An attack on an exhibition of photographs documenting student protests in Serbia took place at the Slovak National Festivities in Backi Petrovac - a town in which ethnic Slovaks make up the majority of the population - on Saturday (9 August). The exhibition was organised by the Slovak minority. The conflict, including skirmishes, took place between members of President Aleksandar Vucic's governing Serbian Progressive Party and the people who had prepared the exhibition of photographs of anti-government protests. During the clash, the photographs on display were damaged, and several people sustained minor injuries. am/df