VIDEO - A curiosity: Abazović sues over acts he committed himself

The leader of the Civic Movement URA Dritan Abazović has filed a lawsuit against the Director of the Police Directorate Lazar Šćepanović claiming that he damaged his reputation, honor and dignity with false and insulting statements made in the Parliament at the end of July, „Vijesti“ reported.

This case could be described as a curiosity, as Abazović has evidently forgotten that the very actions for which he is suing Šćepanović are things he himself has done - making serious and public accusations without any evidence.

We recall one of many examples in which Abazović, from a position of power, targeted and accused individuals without proof. While serving as Prime Minister in a technical mandate, in December 2022, during a press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, Abazović made serious accusations, claiming that businessman Ranko Ubović and former senior police official Zoran Lazović wanted to have him assassinated.

Ubović and Lazović filed lawsuits against Abazović, seeking compensation for non-pecuniary damage due to violations of personal rights, as the former Prime Minister had accused them of involvement in criminal activities.

Ubović and Lazović filed lawsuits against Abazović and demanded compensation for the violation of personal rights because the former Prime Minister had accused them of involvement in criminal acts.

- You know that I never portray myself as a victim nor do I fear such people… These people want the Prime Minister eliminated. They don’t want 21.000 euros. They don’t need money. Only dead mouths don’t speak. That’s it. But they are too late - is part of Abazović’s statement made at that press conference.

The press conference was broadcast live in the media, published on the official website of the Government, and its significance was further amplified by the very occasion, a meeting with the head of North Macedonian diplomacy. In addition, Abazović’s statement resonated across online portals and television stations and was reported by regional media as well.

While previously he had no issue targeting individuals, ironically, Abazović now finds himself in a position of suing for damage to reputation and honor and seeking compensation for non-pecuniary damage, claiming that Šćepanović „insulted and defamed“ him.

- The defendant Lazar Šćepanović, in his capacity as Director of the Police Directorate, made false and insulting statements about the claimant, stating: „Rade Milošević was smuggling cigarettes, and you with him… and you will soon be with him as well“. These words were clearly directed at the claimant and were uttered without any cause, evidence, or legal or factual basis. The entire event was broadcast live on the Public Service Broadcaster, making the statement available to the wider public. Moreover, it was reported by numerous online media outlets… - Vijesti published an excerpt from Abazović’s lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Abazović proposed the recording of the event and the published article as evidence, characterizing Šćepanović’s accusations as a „serious violation of personal rights - specifically his reputation, honor, and dignity“.

We recall the footage from the press conference and what the conduct now being sued over looks like - only this time in Abazović’s own performance.

The lawsuit further emphasizes, as an aggravating factor of the damage suffered, the fact that the statement was made by the Director of the Police Directorate, a high-ranking state official whose „words enjoy special credibility“. For this reason, according to Abazović’s lawsuit published by „Vijesti“, such a statement created among the wider public a „false perception of the claimant as a person involved in serious criminal offenses, which caused severe non-pecuniary damage, including harm to reputation, mental suffering, and damage to the claimant’s professional credibility“.

It is common sense to ask whether Abazović considers how much more „aggravated the damage“ is when he himself makes accusations from an even higher position - at the time as the Prime Minister of the country. Everything he now disputes in Šćepanović’s statements - causing damage and violating reputation and honor - is best illustrated precisely by his own public appearances and the accusations he made.

With this lawsuit and the allegations made against Šćepanović, Abazović seems, in effect, to be portraying himself as the party at fault in the lawsuit filed against him by Ubović and Lazović. Of course, the final decision in the proceedings against Abazović can only be made by the court, with the next hearing scheduled for February.