Surveillance footage released of attack on director Stevan Filipović in central Belgrade
Cameras show men seizing his phone and beating him; the First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office is awaiting the police report.
Surveillance footage has been released showing an attack on director and Faculty of Dramatic Arts professor Stevan Filipović in central Belgrade. The video, made public this week, captures the moment a group of men remove his phone and assault him in the street after he photographed people allegedly demolishing a building under state protection.
The recordings show a large man grabbing Filipović's phone; the director then tries to retrieve it, but several people push him onto the pavement and begin beating him in front of bystanders. At one point an attacker picks up a small stool and throws it at Filipović while he is lying on the ground.
Filipović, who said the incident happened six days earlier, told reporters he had lined up to buy a pljeskavica and was trying to upload the photos when the man approached. He filed a statement with the police but said he was not informed by authorities about the existence of the footage and that he did not recognize the individuals shown on the video. "I stood in line for a pljeskavica and while I was writing something and wanted to post the photos online, a hero of about a hundred kilos came up to me and grabbed my phone," he said.
Legal steps and investigation
Filipović's lawyer, Vladimir Tupanac, said he was not surprised recordings exist given the number of cameras in the city centre and stressed the importance of a quick identification of the perpetrators. "In crimes like these it is most important that the perpetrators are identified as soon as possible. With the help of the footage their identity can be established very easily," he said.
The First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade told authorities it is actively participating in clarifying the criminal-legal event and has instructed the police to identify the perpetrators; their identities have not yet been established. Prosecutors are still awaiting the formal police report as the investigation continues.
Photo: ЦИНС / Јутјуб / скриншот
