The identities of 23 of the 49 people pardoned by former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic were made public on Monday, prompting criticism from the Students’ List, the political movement that won an absolute majority in the October 25 parliamentary election. The remaining beneficiaries have not been named publicly.
Several of those pardoned were accused of attacking students during peaceful protests held before the election. One had been charged with aggravated attempted murder after allegedly seriously injuring a protester by hitting her with a car. Another beneficiary, former Interior Ministry State Secretary Dijana Hrkalovic, was accused of abusing her office by obstructing police investigations to benefit a criminal group suspected of multiple murders.
The Students’ List said pardons should be used only in exceptional, justified circumstances, not as a means of political retaliation or settling personal scores. It also said the decisions undermined trust in institutions and the foundations of the legal system.
The legality of the pardons has also been challenged by Serbian judicial figures. Vida Petrovic Skero, a former president of Serbia’s Supreme Court, said Vucic had not followed the legal procedure because the process had not been initiated by the Justice Ministry. A group of judges and prosecutors believes the former president may have committed a crime and has asked the Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office to investigate.
Vucic resigned in September to lead the conservative Serbian Progressive Party’s campaign in the parliamentary election and seek a return to the post of prime minister. He previously served as prime minister from 2014 to 2017 before becoming president. The Students’ List campaigned on opposition to what it described as growing authoritarianism and corruption under the previous government, and pledged to defend the rule of law and strengthen the independence and transparency of Serbian institutions.
Sources: Observador.