Zdravko Ponos: A General in Politics
Zdravko Ponos, leader of the party Serbia Center (SRCE) on June 3 said that with his intention to grant pardon to a number of individuals from various political backgrounds, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic actually admitted that Serbia has political prisoners and exiles.
“By announcing the pardon of individuals, as he said, from various political background, Vucic actually admitted that Serbia has political prisoners and exiles. With this, he has once again confirmed the authoritarian nature of his regime. He is the one who decides who will be arrested on political grounds, very often how they will be tried and finally, how long they will be behind bars,” Ponos told Belgrade daily Danas, according to a press release from his party.
Commenting on Vucic’s remark that his pardons will be a gesture of reconciliation and unification, Ponos said that such a gesture is characteristic for individuals who are just assuming power in deeply divided countries. “It is grotesque that reconciliation is offered by someone after 14 years in power, which is based on creating deep divide and conflicts, including physical, in society. He has been a symbol of divisions and conflicts since he first entered politics,” Ponos stressed.
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