Vučić's regime targets lawyer for victims of police violence: "They are taking revenge on me"

The pressure on lawyer Jana Ačimović Planojević, who represents victims of police violence in Valjevo, has prompted strong reactions in Serbia, while the Serbian Bar Association has called for a boycott of the television program "Informer", which it accuses of targeting her.

Açimović Planojević has stated that she feels afraid for her and her family's safety, linking the campaign against her to the work she is doing in defense of victims of police violence.

According to her, the pressure escalated after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić mentioned her name in a television appearance, linking her to the suicide of a police officer from Priboj.

The lawyer described these accusations as serious and unfounded, and said that they have created a climate of intimidation towards her and her family.

"A target is hanging over our heads. I'm worried about my safety, I have children and a family," she told N1.

She said that after the media campaign she also received a threatening message, raising concerns that public attacks could expose her and her family to danger.

The case has prompted a reaction from the Serbian Bar Association, which has condemned the attacks on the lawyer and stressed that legal professionals should be free to perform their duties without threats, pressure or media campaigns.

Critics of the government in Serbia see this case as part of a broader pattern of pressure on people who confront state institutions and represent victims of possible police abuses.

In this perspective, President Vučić's public mention of the lawyer, followed by a negative campaign in pro-government media, is interpreted as an attempt to intimidate and discredit her, in what opponents of the government describe as "political revenge" against a lawyer who is challenging the institutions.

Açimović Planojević himself has warned that pressure on lawyers is an indirect attack on the victims they represent and on the right of citizens to independent legal protection.

She has also criticized the president's involvement in matters related to an investigative process, raising questions about the independence of institutions and the functioning of the rule of law in Serbia.

The lawyer is involved in the case of police violence in Valjevo, where, according to her, 27 people were injured and several police officers were involved in the proceedings.

She has stated that the pressure on her and other lawyers is intended to weaken efforts to document the events and seek accountability for the alleged violence.

In such a climate, the clash between the lawyer and the power structures is becoming a test for the independence of justice and the legal profession in Serbia.

For her supporters, the campaign against Acimovic Planojevic is not simply an attack on an individual, but a signal that lawyers who challenge institutions may face political and media pressure.

The GeoPost