Montenegrin court postpones first hearing in trial of alleged coup conspirators

Record ID: 903154

  • Title: Montenegrin court postpones first hearing in trial of alleged coup conspirators
  • Date: 19th July 2017
  • Summary: PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO (JULY 19, 2017) (REUTERS) MANDIC IN FRONT OF COURT BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 2nd August 2017 13:10
  • Keywords: trial alleged Russia-backed plot attempt to overthrow the Montenegrin government NATO
  • Location: PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO
  • City: PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO
  • Country: Montenegro
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
  • Reuters ID: LVA0036QDV7EH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    The Higher Court in Podgorica on Wednesday (July 19) postponed the first hearing in a case against 14 people, including two Russian and several Serbian nationals, local opposition politicians and a former Serbian police chief commander accused of taking part in a Moscow-backed attempt at a coup plan, which allegedly included the assassination of the then prime minister Milo Djukanovic.
    The defendants are charged as allegedly plotting to block Montenegro's accession to NATO by violently taking over state institutions on the day of an election last year and to kill Djukanovic, who held the post for a total of 21 years.
    Proceedings were postponed with a defence petition to exempt special prosecutor Milivoj Katnic and other prosecutors from his office. Defence said that the leaking of a transcript of a conversation between one of the defendants and his lawyer showed them as biased.
    Montenegro and other countries in the region fear meddling from Moscow to further what they believe is a Russian foreign policy of expansion. The Kremlin has dismissed the accusation as absurd. Montenegro's opposition accuses the government of fabricating the plot in order to keep Djukanovic and his Democratic Party of Socialists in power, which it did by a narrow win.
    No date has been set for the next hearing.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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