Sawt Falasteen - Serbian court jails parents of Belgrade school shooter

The killings on May 3, 2023, deeply shocked the Balkan nation, where mass shootings have been rare despite high levels of gun ownership.

The trial was conducted solely against the teenager's parents, Vladimir and Miljana Kecmanovic, as their son cannot be criminally prosecuted due to his age.

Vladimir Kecmanovic was sentenced to 14 years and six months while Miljana Kecmanovic was jailed for three years, the Belgrade Higher Court said in a statement.

"The accused, Vladimir Kecmanovic, was found guilty of committing the criminal offences of a grave offence against public safety and neglect and abuse of a minor. The accused, Miljana Kecmanovic, was found guilty of neglect and abuse of a minor," the court said.

The mother, however, was acquitted on charges of the unauthorised production, possession, carrying or trafficking of weapons.

The court also sentenced Nemanja Marinkovic, the instructor at the shooting range where, according to the indictment, Vladimir Kecmanovic, took his son for target practice, to one year and three months in prison.

Both the prosecution and the defence have announced that they will exercise their right to appeal.

Chief Public Prosecutor Nenad Stefanovic announced an appeal for harsher sentences for the father and the shooting instructor, as well as against the dismissal of part of the indictment against the mother.

Lawyers for the parents and the shooting instructor also said they would appeal.

Ognjen Bozovic, who legally represents the families of the murdered children, said that, from a legal standpoint, they are satisfied with the verdict, but there was no punishment that can bring justice or proper satisfaction to the families, as no one has been convicted for the massacre.

- Days of Remembrance -

Visibly shaken family members of the murdered children were present at the sentencing, and a group of students left flowers in front of the courthouse and stood in silence for 10 minutes to honour the victims.

The mother of one of the murdered girls, Ninela Radicevic, said they expected the verdict but wanted accountability for the shooting itself.

The parents of the young victims are currently pursuing five additional private civil lawsuits against the Kecmanovic family.

The teenage shooter has been placed in a psychiatric institution and was brought out for the first time in October to testify in the case against his parents.

Although the trial was held in a regular courthouse, the boy's testimony on October 8 was heard in a high-security courtroom typically reserved for cases involving organised crime and war crimes.

The first-instance verdict against his parents was delivered publicly, though the 11-month trial was conducted behind closed doors.

Afterwards, the court ordered the father to be returned to custody, where he has been held since shortly after the shootings, but the mother remains free until the verdict becomes final.

Just days after the attack, Serbia was rocked by another mass shooting when a 21-year-old armed with an automatic rifle killed nine people about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Belgrade.

Earlier this month, a court sentenced the attacker to 20 years in prison -- the maximum penalty given his age.

The tragedies sparked anti-government protests last year, that brought together tens of thousands of people demanding the resignation of some officials and an end to the glorification of violence and mafia culture in the media.

The government decided in September to designate May 3 and May 4 as Days of Remembrance for the victims of mass shootings.

I.Saadi--SF-PST