Recurring troublemakers to face sporting events ban

BELGRADE – Troublemakers who repeat violent behavior at sporting events will be banned from attending these events by the court, Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic has said during a presentation of judiciary-related bills in the Serbian parliament.

During Tuesday’s general debate on the bill on enforcement of penal sanctions, bill on enforcement of non-custodial sanctions and measures and bill amending and modifying the Criminal Procedure Code, in principle, Selakovic said that the implementation of the revised Criminal Procedure Code would prevent a criminal offence from being repeated if there is a danger of that taking place.

The minister said that the main reason for adopting amendments to the legislation is frequent riots at sporting events in the second half of last year, which often ended “fatally,” adding that it was found that the offenders most often belong to single a group of individuals.

Selakovic said that data on realized electronic communication will be possible to obtain only through a court order, rather that by order of the prosecutor as before.

Another novelty is concerning the plea agreement, which will be possible to conclude up to the conclusion of the main trial, rather than up to the entering of a plea by the defendant as is currently the case, Selakovic said, pointing out that this should enable a more efficient conduct of the proceedings since the agreement can be signed at a later stage in the process.

Speaking about the other two legislative proposals, Selakovic said they are aimed at protecting the rights of convicts, respecting the highest European legal standards and making savings.

When it comes to the bill on enforcement of non-custodial sanctions and...