“Truth Is Not Pressure: An Open Response to Nenad Stefanović” — Dragan Đilas, President of the Party of Freedom and Justice

Nenad Stefanović, the head of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, is the only prosecutor in the world who perceives a statement that the laws will be respected—and that prosecutors and judges will enforce them without political pressure—as a threat and pressure. What are you afraid of, Mr. Stefanović, if you haven’t broken the law? Vučić has been trying to arrest me for 13 years, calling me a criminal, claiming I stole 619 million euros, fabricating bank accounts in Mauritius—but I am not afraid, because I know none of it is true. And yet, at the first sign of criticism and exposure of how certain prosecutors behave, you panic and call for help.

What exactly in my statement was untrue, Mr. Stefanović? Were no custody orders requested for protest participants? Are people not being prosecuted for allegedly endangering the president’s safety based on Viber group messages? Are people not being accused of violently attempting to overthrow the constitutional order?

Is it untrue that one man, Nikola Pantelić, decides the fate of everyone detained at public gatherings? And that they avoid prison through plea bargains because they work for the regime? Publish the numbers—how many ended up in prison, and how many walked free. Prove I’m lying, and I’ll apologize.

Is it also untrue that Aleksandar Vučić directly influences the work of the prosecution? Even the birds on the trees know that. And that’s a better defense for you tomorrow than claiming that the prosecution independently decided not to initiate proceedings for years against serious criminals whose convictions were overturned by the Appellate Court due to procedural errors and sent back for retrial. Those retrials never happen, and various drug dealers and attempted murderers end up in Pionirski Park on March 15. Would you like the names, Mr. Stefanović?

Is it not true that you filed the same indictment nine times over the reconstruction of King Alexander Boulevard against my associates—who were held in custody for 11 months—and that the Appellate Court returned it to you nine times? Nine times in ten years?! And now you’ve filed it a tenth time?! And all that over a project for which we received a six-million-euro award from the European Union. But you don’t need the award as proof—take a walk down the boulevard and see how it looks after 15 years.

Is it also untrue that my associates and women employed at RTS were arrested in front of cameras and the media for allegedly harmful contracts with RTS? Is it not true that after six years the case was dropped because expert analysis and current RTS leadership confirmed there was no damage to RTS whatsoever?

So, Mr. Stefanović, which part of what I said is untrue? How exactly did I “target” you or pressure you by speaking the truth? And I have dozens more examples like this—some even worse. And I have no problem speaking them publicly, because I am not afraid of you, of the criminals, or of Aleksandar Vučić.

I always respond to lies about me with the truth. In line with that principle, I eagerly await your next public address—with the reminder that in a democratic country, there are no “suitable” and “unsuitable” prosecutors, as you claim. There are only prosecutors who perform this difficult and responsible job honestly. And those who don’t. Fortunately for Serbia, the former are still the majority.

Dragan Đilas

President of the Freedom and Justice Party