Prison (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)
Sunna Aevarsdottir, general rapporteur for political prisoners of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, on Jan. 15 called on Serbian authorities to release arrested opposition politician Nikola Sandulovic and look into allegations that he was abused while in detention.
Aevarsdottir said Sandulovic was taken from his home by agents of Serbian security services and "badly beaten," according to his family, PACE reported.
"It is alleged that this was a form of punishment for expressing regrets over the death of Adem Jashari, a founder of the Kosovo Liberation Army who was killed by Serbian police in 1998 along with 57 members of his family during the Kosovo war," Aevarsdottir noted.
Aevarsdottir went on to say that she was shocked to learn that Sandulovic had returned home on a stretcher, partially paralyzed, and was subsequently detained for 30 days despite visible injuries and charged with inciting national, racial or religious hatred.
"I call on the Serbian authorities to abide by their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, in particular by carrying out a swift, effective and independent investigation into the serious allegations of Mr Sandulović's ill-treatment by state agents and by guaranteeing his access to proper medical care," she concluded.
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