European Roma Rights Centre Today is the anniversary of the killing of Ervin Bilicki (17), a young Roma man from Bečej, Serbia who was brutally beaten on the street on the night of 17 March 2013. According to the official report, Ervin drowned in the puddle of water into which he fell face-down after losing consciousness due to the brutal beating. Although media outlets initially suggested that Ervin was beaten by a group of men, to date criminal proceeedings have been launched only against one minor P.P. (14) from the same town in Northern Province of Vojvodina; he has been charged with the criminal offence serious bodily injury with a fatal outcome. The criminal procedure is pending before the Higher Court in Novi Sad and, considering the defendant’s age, the hearings are closed to the public. Initially, the investigative judged ruled out a racial motive even though the situation involved inter-ethnic conflict. However there are indications that the attack could have been racially motivated, especially since the defendant is allegedly the leader of the local youth skinheads group. The ERRC is particularly concerned with the procedural deficiencies of the investigation – (almost) all DNA samples that were taken from the crime scene were compromised and unusable thus preventing the courts from determining exactly what happened. This year, the commemoration took place among the victim’s close family circle. However, last year local authorities decided to ban a peaceful walk in the city in the loving memory of young Ervin with the family, friends and other citizens who wanted to publicly condemn this violent and brutal attack which additionally aggravated their pain over the loss of son - Ervin’s parents told the ERRC. Today is the anniversary of the killing of Ervin Bilicki (17), a young Roma man from Bečej, Serbia who was brutally beaten on the street on the night of 17 March 2013. According to the official report, Ervin drowned in the puddle of water into which he fell face-down after losing consciousness due to the brutal beating. Although media outlets initially suggested that Ervin was beaten by a group of men, to date criminal proceeedings have been launched only against one minor P.P. (14) from the same town in Northern Province of Vojvodina; he has been charged with the criminal offence serious bodily injury with a fatal outcome. The criminal procedure is pending before the Higher Court in Novi Sad and, considering the defendant’s age, the hearings are closed to the public. Initially, the investigative judged ruled out a racial motive even though the situation involved inter-ethnic conflict. However there are indications that the attack could have been racially motivated, especially since the defendant is allegedly the leader of the local youth skinheads group. The ERRC is particularly concerned with the procedural deficiencies of the investigation – (almost) all DNA samples that were taken from the crime scene were compromised and unusable thus preventing the courts from determining exactly what happened. This year, the commemoration took place among the victim’s close family circle. However, last year local authorities decided to ban a peaceful walk in the city in the loving memory of young Ervin with the family, friends and other citizens who wanted to publicly condemn this violent and brutal attack which additionally aggravated their pain over the loss of son - Ervin’s parents told the ERRC.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:36:18 +0000
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