Mitrovica protest organizer resigns from local council

“I wanted to say that this is an ordinary civic protest by the people of Kosovska Mitrovica, that there is no political party behind it not even the SDP whose councillor I was,” Jaksic told Radio Free Europe.  

He said the murder of his party’s late leader Oliver Ivanovic was one of the main reasons for the protest. “Oliver Ivanovic was killed in northern Mitrovica and the people of Mitrovica are the most interested in learning the truth about his murder. The main reason is to remind the wider public in Kosovo and Serbia that we still don’t know who ordered and committed the murder a year later,” Jaksic said.  

He said another reason is the desire to openly voice his views and a third was to offer support to people protesting in other places in Serbia.  

Jaksic said he does not have any great expectations of the announced protest, saying he expects to see a few dozen people who are brave and independent enough and are prepared to show that in public. “I would be satisfied if 50 people turned out for the protest. The whole fuss about the protest is unbelievable to me. I can’t believe that the entire state mechanism has been direct towards preventing the protest,” he said.