Supporting Dejan Tomic

Appeal to President Kostunica to Pardon Dejan Tomic

March 27, 2001

The Fund for Humanitarian Law lawyers, together with the Yugoslav Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) and Women in Black, have submitted an appeal to president Kostunica to pardon Dejan Tomic of Pirot, who was sentenced to a four-year prison term for refusing to carry out orders. On April 19, the Military Court in Niš condemned Tomic to a five-year prison term, but the Military Supreme Court reduced the sentence on April 27. Dejan Tomic must report to the authorities in the beginning of April and begin serving his term in prison.

The Court declared Dejan Tomic guilty because he, a reservist of the Yugoslav Army, participated in protests in Pirot organized by soldiers, their families and fellow citizens on April 8, 1999, during the NATO intervention. The next day, the military police arrested only Tomic, who worked as a cameraman at the local Pirot TV station, which was then an outlet for the opposition. Tomic was arrested even though he had not organized the protests nor had he encouraged soldiers to disobey the order to go back to their units.

When considering this appeal, the following should be taken into account: all citizens who refused to respond to their military summons, left their military units or deserted the army have been granted amnesty under the Amnesty Law. Dejan Tomic, who responded to his military summons, is facing a long prison sentence for an act he committed out of solidarity with the soldiers in his unit.