Attack on Vucevic's home act of vandalism - Ministry of Justice

BELGRADE - The Serbian Ministry of Justice on Wednesday condemned an attack on the Novi Sad family home of Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) leader Milos Vucevic and noted that the violence was a cowardly act of vandalism and posed a serious threat to the fundamental values of democratic society, to rule of law and to the security of the citizens.

In a statement, the ministry said it expected the authorities to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of the attack without delay to demonstrate clearly that Serbia remained consistent with rule of law.

"Under the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, as well as under the European Convention on Human Rights, respect for private and family life as well as for a family home represents one of the fundamental values of every civilised society. Threats and attacks on someone's home and family run contrary to all the values advocated by the majority of Serbian citizens," the ministry said.

"Violence will never be more powerful than law and the freedoms safeguarded by our Constitution," it said.

At the invitation of so-called citizen gatherings and student protesters, a group of people gathered outside Vucevic's registered residence on Tuesday evening in protest against, among other issues, a decision by a local court to halt proceedings against four SNS activists involved in incidents that took place outside the party's Novi Sad offices in January.