Memorial service held for Oliver Ivanovic in the crypt of St. Sava's Temple

The second anniversary of the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, leader of the Civic Initiative "Serbia, Democracy, Justice" was marked in Belgrade today with a memorial service in the crypt of St. Sava's Temple.

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The memorial service began at exactly 8:15 am, symbolically at the same time when the leader of the Civic Initiative "Serbia, Democracy, Justice" was killed two years ago in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Photo: Tanjug/Sava Radovanovic

In attendance were the widow of Oliver Ivanovic, Milena, with her son, as well as Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Ministers Nebojsa Stefanovic, Branko Ruzic, Nenad Popovic, Zoran Djordjevic, Rasim Ljajic, Mladen Sarcevic, Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric, the deputy the director of that office, Petar Petkovic, and the State Secretary in the MUP, Veljko Odalovic.

Ivanovic was also honored by family members, friends and a large number of citizens.

Photo: Tanjug/Sava Radovanovic

On behalf of the family, Bishop Stefan thanked everyone who came to pay their respects to Oliver Ivanovic, with the message that the service today shows "we do not forget our people and we will never forget them."

Brnabic: Belgrade is conducting its own investigation

Brnabic said before the service started that Belgrade was conducting an investigation on its own without the support of temporary institutions in Pristina and international actors in Kosovo, above all of all EULEX.

"We spoke on several occasions with UNMIK and EULEX. We don't particularly have their support, but we are conducting our own investigation," Brnabic told RTS.

Asked if she had any information as to how far the Serbian authorities' investigation has progressed, she said she had some knowledge but could not talk about it, as the situation in Kosovo and Metohija is such that once again not even the protected witnesses of the Special Court are protected, and their killings cannot be prevented.

"I can't say anything on this topic at the moment, because anything we say could endanger both people and the investigation, which we are conducting with our hands tied by the provisional institutions and international institutions in Kosovo," she stated and said that she doesn't expect the six Serbs arrested in Kosovo and Metohija to receive a fair trial.

"That whole process is being conducted in a way that we saw what it was like," said the prime minister, adding that this would be discussed, as well as the protection of the Serb people in northern Kosovo.

Two years after the murder, perpetrators and those who ordered murder still unknown

Oliver Ivanovic was killed on January 16, 2018, at 8:15 am in front of his party headquarters in Kosovska Mitrovica. He was buried on January 18 in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens at the New Cemetery in Belgrade.

The scene of the murder; Photo: Tanjug/AP

So far, the perpetrators and those who gave the order to carry out this murder have not been discovered.

A two-year memorial for the slain Civic Initiative SDP leader Oliver Ivanovic will also be held in Kosovska Mitrovica at 10 am today, at the scene of the assassination, outside his party's premises.

(Telegraf.rs)