Belgrade Mayor Šapić Denies Assaulting Opposition Councillor — Balkan Insight
Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Šapić has denied allegations of assaulting opposition city councillor Tatjana Mičić during a street altercation in Serbia. Balkan Insight reports that the incident occurred in the evening while Mičić and her husband were walking their dog near their home.
Accounts of the sides
The Kreni-Promeni movement, to which Mičić belongs, said that Šapić, an official of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, attacked the councillor and her husband. The movement claims that Mičić suffered fractures to her nose and jaw as a result of the incident, allegedly confirmed by medical documentation. The publication notes that it was unable to independently verify these data.
According to Mičić, the mayor accused her of organising a protest outside his home, approached her and, after she tried to record the conversation on her phone, began hitting her hand. She said that her husband tried to protect her, and when she stepped between them, Šapić struck her in the nose.
Mičić also said that an acquaintance of hers called the police. According to her, after law enforcement officers learned that Šapić was involved in the incident, additional patrols and the head of police for the New Belgrade district arrived at the scene.
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The mayor's position and the authorities' response
At a press conference, Šapić rejected the assault allegations and said that he condemns all violence, especially against women. According to his version, during an evening walk he encountered a person distributing leaflets and calling on people to gather outside his residence. The mayor claims that he asked Mičić about her visits to his home, after which he was verbally attacked first by her husband and then by her.
Šapić said that he defended himself from Mičić's husband and did not hit the councillor. According to him, during the scuffle he only moved her away from himself to avoid contact. The mayor added that he himself contacted the police and gave a statement about the event. He said he regrets it if Mičić sustained injuries, but insists that he did not cause them.
Further steps
The prosecutor's office said that Šapić was released after questioning, and that further procedural steps will be decided after the circumstances are established. Candidate for prime minister Aleksandar Vučić, who on Sunday left the post of president to take part in the October 25 election, said that Šapić should have stepped away from the conflict even if he had been provoked. The Kreni-Promeni movement said it intends to file a criminal complaint and demand the mayor's arrest.
