On Thursday, Serbian peace activist Aida Ćorović received a summons to serve a prison sentence because she refused to pay a fine following the verdict of the Belgrade Magistrate’s Court, which found her guilty of throwing eggs at a mural of war crimes convict Ratko Mladić in 2021.
On November 9, 2021, the police detained Aida Ćorović after she threw several eggs at a mural dedicated to Ratko Mladić, painted on the wall of a building in the wider center of Belgrade, which was followed by protests by non-governmental organizations and civil society activists, and the mural was painted red.
Belgrade media reported at the time that a group of Euro MPs in a joint statement condemned the authorities in Serbia and President Aleksandar Vučić for protecting the mural dedicated to Mladić. Vučić and the then Minister of the Interior, Aleksandar Vulin, resolutely denied this, insisting on the interpretation that the police “guarded and ensured public order and peace and security for all citizens”, reminds Hina news agency.
Due to the tension caused by the attempt of non-governmental organizations to paint over the mural, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, Vladimir Bilčik, called three days later to continue efforts to reconcile and preserve good neighborliness.
Aida Ćorović confirmed to Belgrade media today that she was called to serve a two-month prison sentence after, according to the verdict from November last year, she refused to pay a fine according to the final verdict “for disturbing public order and peace”.
Ćorović says that she has not paid the fine until now because she “doesn’t want to” and does not consider herself guilty because she “defended the laws of this country, since Ratko Mladić is a convicted war criminal.” She reiterated that she does not run away from responsibility, stressing her willingness to report to serving her sentence.
“The court decision was activated just now, even though the verdict was passed in November last year, after my recent participation in the Rebedu festival in Dubrovnik,” Ćorović assessed.
According to a report from the Dubrovnik media, the program of the festival included the topics of intolerance, oppression, war, freedom, and the speakers were well-known intellectuals and artists from Croatia and the countries of the region. The guests from Serbia attracted the most attention, which is why some Serbian media declared this event from Dubrovnik “a festival of hatred towards Serbia, the Serbian people and President Aleksandar Vučić”.
