BELGRADE – An appeals court in Serbia on Tuesday released three out of six political activists from jail following protests and international criticism of the populist government, which has faced monthslong anti-graft demonstrations.
But the court in the northern city of Novi Sad ordered that the three remain under house arrest, pending legal proceedings on suspicion of anti-state activities. The court said that it would issue another ruling at some point about the other three jailed activists.
The six were detained in March after secret recordings of their alleged plotting to take over state institutions was broadcast on pro-government media in Serbia before a major rally in the capital, Belgrade. Hundreds have been protesting for days against their prolonged detention.
Those released from jail include a high school teacher who was transferred to a prison hospital in Belgrade last week after going on a hunger strike.
The huge rally on March 15 in Belgrade was part of protests that started after a concrete canopy collapsed on Nov. 1 at a train station in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Shaken by the tragedy, populist President Aleksandar Vucic’s government has stepped up pressure on those involved while trying to curb the demonstrations.
Lawyers for the jailed activists in Novi Sad say that the accusations against their clients are based on illegal wiretapping, and there’s a lack of evidence.
Vucic criticized the ruling in a statement on pro-government Informer television, saying it was the result of pressure from “the gang” of protesters outside the court. He described the activists as “terrorists,” adding that “there is not a country in the world” that would release them from jail.
Protesters in Novi Sad said on Tuesday that they would continue with the demonstrations until all six activists are out of prison. Six more activists facing the same charges aren’t in the country.
Tuesday’s ruling came as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk arrived in Belgrade.
Last week, Tonino Picula, the European Parliament’s envoy for Serbia, described the activists as “political prisoners,” while Civil Rights Defenders group called it “a clear attempt by the Serbian government to silence dissent.”
Critics have accused Vucic of increasingly authoritarian rule that stifles the media and other democratic freedoms. The president says that he wants Serbia to join the European Union while boosting relations with Russia and China.
Many in Serbia believe that widespread government corruption linked to major infrastructure projects fueled negligence and undermined construction regulations that contributed to the disaster on Nov. 1 at the Novi Sad train station, which triggered the protests.
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