Jelena Ćuruvija: After 27 years, I feel that I haven't moved a step in the pursuit of justice and truth.

"This year I turn 50, and I was 23 when my father was killed. In various areas of my life, I can measure success, but when it comes to this matter, which is one of the most important in my life, I often feel that I haven't moved an inch in the pursuit of justice and truth," said Jelena Ćuruvija at a panel discussion at the Center for Cultural Decontamination titled "Legalistic End of Crime - The Murder of Slavko Ćuruvija: A State Crime Without Accountability and Judicially Established Confusion."

"Unfortunately, my father was alone in his struggle, and after his death, I was alone in my fight for some time. If anything good has come out of all these years, it is the fact that I have met many good people. Tonight, I look at you and see that I am not alone, and that support means a lot to me," Jelena Ćuruvija said through tears.

She assessed that the fight for justice and truth will be a marathon.

"I am ready for that marathon; I have been living it for so many years, and it will last for some more time. What we can do is stand firmly on that path, and we see that more and more people stand behind us and beside us, and that is the greatest value of the entire journey," Jelena Ćuruvija stated.

Participating in the panel were retired judge Radmila Dragičević Dičić, prosecutor Bojana Savović, retired police colonel Dragan Kecman, and lawyer Vladica Ilić.

The common assessment is that victims and their families must receive protection and the opportunity for justice and fairness through more effective regulations and laws, which is particularly important after the acquittal in the case of Ćuruvija's murder, as well as the proceedings against the "Slavko Ćuruvija" Foundation initiated by three former members of the State Security, who were initially convicted and later acquitted of that murder.

"Everything that has happened, this sad conclusion in the proceedings, could serve as a pathway for other cases where we have victims - such as the Jovanjica case, General Staff, where we could have some error by the appellate court that the Supreme Court can only acknowledge but not correct. We also have presidential pardons for serious crimes, for which there is also no legal remedy, except perhaps something could be done in Strasbourg. Tolerance for such serious crimes is becoming the norm," said Dragičević Dičić.

Bojana Savović assessed that the idea of overcoming those who commit crimes has been abandoned.

A long time ago, we abandoned that struggle and the notion that we should defeat the mafia. I get the impression that prosecutors who have decided to fight for what is right are left alone; they do not feel that any part of the state apparatus or society is behind them, but it seems to them that it is some personal, crusading battle of theirs," Savović believes.

Retired police colonel Kecman, who worked on the Ćuruvija case, emphasized that all evidence was collected "with great difficulty" and presented to the prosecutor, and that for him, that case was resolved.

"In my opinion, all evidence was collected, except for the 'scorpions' involved in the commission of that crime. I can even say now that I came to the number of scorpions that are missing from a certain place, but I could not find them," Kecman said.

Journalist Vuk Cvijić stated that the goal was to cover up everything that happened during the 1990s, during the rule of Slobodan Milošević.

"We were all deceived when in 2014, Aleksandar Vučić announced that the case of Ćuruvija's murder would be resolved," Cvijić said.

The Supreme Court of Serbia determined earlier this year that the acquittal by the Appellate Court for the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija was made with significant violations of the law and incorrect evaluation of evidence, but this does not change the final decision.

The Appellate Court had previously acquitted four members of the State Security of responsibility in 2024, which provoked condemnation and calls for reconsideration.

The Supreme Court stated that the Appellate Court, in its ruling, stated untruths about witness testimonies and eliminated key evidence, such as reports on the movements of State Security members. Despite the established irregularities, the ruling of the Appellate Court is final.

Jelena Ćuruvija sought a review of the constitutionality of the Criminal Procedure Code in February, which prevented the reconsideration of this ruling, as well as the dismissal of judges, while in the meantime, the members of the State Security who were acquitted of guilt initiated proceedings against the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation due to reactions to the acquittal.

Source: Fonet