Serbs put up $500,000 to save Dragan
Serbs put up $500,000 to save Dragan
Monday Apr 16 05:00 AEST
By ninemsn staff
Australia's Serbian community has spent more than $500,000 in legal fees to keep accused Balkan war criminal Dragan Vasiljkovic from being extradited to Croatia, The Australian reports.
George Bubalo, the president of Serbs for Justice and Democracy, said yesterday that 42 Serbian groups from around the country had made donations to the Dragan fund.
Bubalo said the legal bills had already surpassed $500,000, and were likely to rise as the case returns to the High Court.
"The case to stop Captain Dragan from being returned to Croatia is far from exhausted," he said.
"We will take the case all the way to the High Court of Australia, as Dragan is an Australian citizen, if need be."
NSW Deputy Chief Magistrate Paul Cloran last week granted the Republic of Croatia the right to have Vasilijkovic extradited on charges of war crimes during the Serb-Croat civil war more than 15 years ago.
Vasilijkovic emigrated to Australia at the age of 12 with his mother, but returned to Serbia in 1991 to take control of a paramilitary unit.
Croatia alleges that in the early 1990s he assaulted a captive soldier, gave orders for a murder and ordered troops to fire on civilian portions of the town of Glina.
Vasilijkovic denies the allegations, and believes he would not be given a fair trial in Croatia.
"I believe I cannot be acquitted no matter what the evidence is in a Croatian court, because of the political effect on the career of any judge who finds me innocent," he said in a statement written in December last year.
"I believe any judge who found me innocent could no longer live safely in Croatia."
The Serbs for Justice and Democracy is made up of 25 Serbian-Australians.
"The committee will meet in Sydney possibly as early as today to plan its next legal move," Mr Bubalo said.
"Show me the evidence Dragan did something wrong. There isn't any. Dragan has been sitting in a Sydney jail (Parklea) for the past 15 months [without] a charge brought against him."
Quote:"We will take the case all the way to the High Court of Australia, as Dragan is an Australian citizen, if need be."
Quote:Vasilijkovic emigrated to Australia at the age of 12 with his mother, but returned to Serbia in 1991 to take control of a paramilitary unit.
In the USA if you serve in another nations army you lose your citizenship. For example I have dual citizenship, but if i were to be drafted by the Bosnian army, and went and served a term there, i would lose my American citizenship.
The same is true for the UK and several other nations... Is Australia different? Can someone look this up?
This is all i could find
Quote:Can Australian citizenship be taken away from someone?
The Australian Citizenship Act 1948 allows for deprivation or revocation of Australian citizenship in very limited circumstances and only for convictions for actions prior to the acquisition of citizenship. These actions are fraud in relation to a migration or citizenship application, and serious criminal offences committed prior to citizenship application approval. The provisions in respect of serious criminal offences do not apply if deprivation would leave the person stateless.
The Australian Government supports the notion that there should be certainty of Australian citizenship status. An Australian citizen by birth cannot be deprived of their Australian citizenship. Similarly, a person granted citizenship after fully disclosing all relevant factors is the equal of any other Australian citizen, and therefore cannot be deprived of their citizenship.
People who are deprived of their citizenship become the holders of a former citizen visa and are therefore subject to the provisions of the Migration Act 1958, including the requirement to be of good character.
The Migration Act provides for the cancellation of a visa, and removal of the former visa-holder from Australia, if the person is found to be no longer of good character.
Honorary Member XMod
Posts: 4698
(4/17/07 11:19 am)
Re: ....
No ones really talking much about this here. Ive seen the guy a few times at the Serb club, he seems like a normal dude to me....................but I duno. If anything he should be sent to ICTY, not Croatia.
Re: ....
hajde malo zapreti nekom drugom konju jedan
dodji ti u australiju pa vidi koliko je naroda ustalo za dragana. pricaj sa izbjelicima i ranjencima kojim je dragan pomogo kad je bilo naj teze, kad nije bilo ni hleba ni mjeka.
dosao si ovde i seres nesto kad nemas pojma o situaciji
a da te pitam, kako ti pomazes braci na Kosovu? jer si ista dao iz svoga dzepa.
Ama ko je srao po australijskim Srbima ---EDIT--- Srao sam i sracu iskljucivo po laznim rodoljupcima, u koje spada i sam Dragan.
Uostalom, boli me racku, dokazao si da si internet ratnik, i samim tim pizdurina. I da, nema potrebe da vise komuniciramo.
Edited by: vinyak at: 4/17/07 1:07 pm
vinyak Senior Moderator
Posts: 3557
(4/17/07 1:07 pm)
Re: ....
Sorry Vin, but this is something that hits close to home.
The way the Serbian community has worked togther over the past few months has been remmarkable - all that 'samo sloga srbina spavasa' crap is finally ringing true.
My local Pop (from the Blacktown Ortho church, maybe your familiar with it) was recently on national tv doing an interview regarding the whole thing. And he is one of the 42 people who are organising the donations and setting up proper lobby groups.
Its one a small bit to help the man who helped so much. Not only in the time of war but also after. He set up numerous charity groups helping the wounded soldiers and the widos of those who died. HE HELPED when BEOGRAD turned it backs on them(us)
A girl who works with me lost both parents in the war, she had no problem donating money to this cause because unlike Arkan and all those other bozos, Dragan was legit.
Now this wanker wants to spit all over that? nek ide u kurac for all I care
vinyak Senior Moderator
Posts: 3558
(4/17/07 1:33 pm)
Re: ....
All is kool man
Yep Blacktown was my local church as well i used to live in Seven hills. Did the whole dancing thing in Granville as well
Novi Pazar Senior Moderator
Posts: 6499
(4/17/07 1:43 pm)
Re: Serbs put up $500,000 to save Dragan
Geez, couldn't some of this money be directed to a couple of my family members in kosovo?
The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with.........Do you agree, Dijedon?
Re: Serbs put up $500,000 to save Dragan
First mapko now you novi, why must you smite me
Although you make a point (and not that other bozo in this thread) I dont think we have done enough for the people of Kosovo, both financially or politically.
Personally every month or two my family (myself included) send money back to fatherland, every little bit helps. Especially when it takes 3 entire wages to pay for a months rent over there.
Hopefully now this case with Dragan will be dismissed (fingers crossed) and all the gropus which were formed as a result can shift their focus onto helping our brothers and sisters in Kosovo.
at: 4/18/07 6:26 am
.....surprisingly both of my uncles from leposavic are doing o.k.
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