Milan Jovanović is still awaiting compensation for the arson of his house, while the obstructions and humiliations in the courtroom continue.

The case of the arson of journalist Milan Jovanović's house is concluded for the wider public, but not for him and his wife Jela Deljanin, who – after the final conviction of the perpetrator, former president of the Grocka Municipality Dragoljub Simonović, and the executors – have been unable to collect compensation for the damage they suffered for over a year.

Milan and Jela have not managed to collect a single dinar from the individuals who set their house on fire, even though it has been more than six months since the fire and over a year since the final judgment, says their attorney Ana Matić for Cenzolovka.

Currently, two civil lawsuits are ongoing for compensation of material and non-material damages, both of which were on hold while the criminal proceedings were concluded, which occurred in April 2024.

In the case for compensation of material damages, the court president responded to the attorney that urgent action would be taken in this matter, but there is still no official decision.

Obstruction in Damage Compensation Processes

The previous criminal proceedings for the arson of the house were rife with obstruction by the defendants and their attorneys, and even more than that: from applause for the defendants outside the courtroom or their non-appearances at hearings, to insults and belittling of Milan and Jela, requests for the disqualification of judges, and even all from the courthouse, to tabloid campaigns against the prosecutor in the case.

Despite the conviction of Dragoljub Simonović, Vladimir Mihailović, Igor Novaković, and Aleksandar Martinović, justice has not been served due to Milan and Jela's inability to collect damages.

Attorney Ana Matić states that there is a case for compensation of non-material damages due to mental anguish resulting from fear and violation of personal rights against Simonović, Mihailović, and Novaković, with the aim of providing Milan and Jela some satisfaction for everything they have endured.

She explains that several hearings have been held in this case so far, and the defendants insisted on obtaining medical records from all private and public healthcare institutions for Jovanović and his wife, as if they were lying about suffering fear, that they continue to suffer, and that this has left permanent consequences on their daily lives.

“At the last hearing, the journalist and his wife were heard as parties in the civil suit and were once again subjected to inappropriate questions, similar to those in the criminal proceedings, such as whether Jela Deljanin immediately felt fear and depression or if it came later, whether they took medication for gallbladder issues, how old their grandchildren were in 2018, and so on, all aimed at discouraging and humiliating them,” notes the attorney.

The proceedings for compensation of material damages, which are being conducted before the Higher Court, are in an “even worse phase”:

“The defendants have filed an appeal against the procedural decision to continue the proceedings, and the case has been pending at the Court of Appeals for months for a decision on that appeal, which was filed due to the delays in the proceedings. We submitted an urgency request for expedited decision, and received a general response from the court president that they would act accordingly, but still without any decision.”

ATTORNEY: MILAN AND JELA CAN ONLY FRAME THE JUDGMENT

Attorney Ana Matić is particularly concerned that the court has not decided for months regarding their request for a temporary measure, which would prohibit Igor Novaković and Dragoljub Simonović from disposing of the property they own.

“This decision is being delayed without any reason, and if it is not made soon, they will distribute even that little property they still own in their names to their relatives, and the plaintiffs will only be able to frame the judgment and look at it on the wall, but will not be able to collect anything,” Matić emphasizes.

Matić points out that Simonović, even during the criminal proceedings, gifted a large number of real estate properties in Belgrade and at Silver Lake to his children, meaning that new proceedings will need to be initiated to annul those contracts.

Jovanović: They are waiting for us to die so they won’t have to compensate us a single dinar

Milan Jovanović, whose health has been severely compromised after the arson of his house and during the court process, spoke to Cenzolovka through an oxygen mask, which he can no longer live without. His lungs are permanently damaged as a result of the fire.

After nearly seven years of legal proceedings and about 60 hearings held, the journalist emphasizes that he is not very optimistic, as “age takes its toll, and time is on the side of the defendants.”

“A huge number of hearings were avoided due to various illnesses. I think they have only not had mumps and chickenpox. So my wife and I do not expect to see the end of this process, and I believe they will succeed in their intention, as we have indeed been pressed by the years, and everyone has their lifespan, including us,” says Jovanović.

He believes there is an agreement among those who set his house on fire and their attorneys.

According to him, “by engaging so many attorneys, they are clearly waiting for age to do its work, for my wife and me to pass away, so they will not be obligated to pay any compensation. I do not believe we will see them pay damages.”

Still in Debt

The journalist states that he and his wife partially renovated their house with donations and loans from colleagues, friends, and citizens.

“Thanks to journalists from Serbia, Reporters Without Borders, journalists from around the world, and citizens of Serbia who donated to the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, we have somewhat renovated the house and moved in; we live there on our pension. However, we have substantial loans and still a lot of debt to friends and acquaintances... I hope we will be able to repay those debts, but given how our judicial system functions, I do not believe we will see justice,” Jovanović notes.

Milan Jovanović and Jela Deljanin's house was set on fire on the night of December 11-12, 2018.

A "Molotov cocktail" was thrown into their garage, and the fire quickly spread to the rest of the house.

By sheer luck, Jela saved Milan, who was deeply asleep that evening due to the effects of medication. Everything the couple had built over the years – furniture, clothing, medicines, memories – was lost in the fire.

For this crime, one of the most serious committed against journalists in Serbia, Dragoljub Simonović was sentenced to four years in prison and a fine of 100,000 dinars as the mastermind. He has been in prison "Zabela" since October 2024.

Other participants in the attack have also been sentenced: Vladimir Mihailović to three years in prison, Igor Novaković to two and a half years, while Aleksandar Marinković, who threw the "cocktail," was sentenced to four years in prison but is currently at large.

Source: Cenzolovka