BELGRADE, April 15 (Hina) - The Serbian Constitutional Court on Thursday unanimously decided to discontinue the implementation of a law granting state assistance to indictees of the UN war crimes tribunal and their families, which the
Serbian parliament adopted on March 30 this year.
BELGRADE, April 15 (Hina) - The Serbian Constitutional Court on
Thursday unanimously decided to discontinue the implementation of a
law granting state assistance to indictees of the UN war crimes
tribunal and their families, which the Serbian parliament adopted on
March 30 this year.#L#
The Constitutional Court has passed a temporary decision stopping the
implementation of the law and given the Serbian parliament 30 days to
re-examine the law, court president Slobodan Vucetic said, adding that
this was not the final ruling on the constitutionality of the law, but
a temporary measure preventing possible negative consequences of its
application.
Reporting judge Verona Adam Bokros said the implementation of the law
"could cause irreparable damage, especially with regard to the
constitutional principle on the equality of citizens in rights and
duties and their right to equal protection before state and other
bodies".
The initiative to examine the constitutionality of the law was
launched by the Vojvodina Bar Association, the Pozega Municipal
Assembly, and the Committee of Human Rights Attorneys.
The law envisages state assistance in the defence of Hague tribunal
indictees, whose families are entitled to allowances in the amount of
the average monthly salary in state services, compensation for the
costs of visits to indictees, etc.
(Hina) rml