The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) has announced their decision to engage with the Inquiry Committee to demonstrate their commitment to institutions and the rule of law, as well as to avoid the “gross politicization” of the subject and ensure that “any attempts at manipulation and diversion from the core issues” are promptly addressed.

According to Vijesti, the DPS has nominated Andrija Nikolić, the head of its parliamentary group, for the position of president of the parliamentary inquiry committee, which will investigate politically motivated murders and attacks on journalists and intellectuals.

In their statement, DPS emphasized that they would lead the sessions of the inquiry committee to stave off politicization and expressed their readiness to discuss all historical topics without hesitation.

“In light of the parliamentary majority’s decision to withdraw the significant procedural error made when nominating Vladimir Dobricanin as the chairman of the parliamentary Inquiry Committee, which is tasked with addressing cases of alleged politically motivated murders since the onset of multi-party politics until today, as well as instances of physical attacks on journalists, and to now offer the chairmanship of the Inquiry Committee to the parliamentary opposition, we inform the public that the DPS MPs’ Club will actively participate in this parliamentary investigation,” the statement confirms.

They noted that, while they believe the formation of the Inquiry Committee reflects the current government’s inability to guarantee the effective and independent operation of the institutions responsible for these matters, they are keen to prevent any misrepresentation that suggests the parliamentary opposition or DPS lack the political will or institutional accountability to engage in discussions regarding these events.

Furthermore, they cautioned that the parliamentary investigation mechanism has specific limitations. As they explained, the Minister of Justice must assess whether court proceedings are ongoing in certain cases when a proposal to establish the Inquiry Committee is submitted. “If court proceedings are in progress, the decision on the proposal is deferred until the court’s final resolution, and should court proceedings commence after the Inquiry Committee is formed, the committee’s operations will cease until the final conclusions are reached,” added DPS.

They argued that if there is genuine political will to expedite the process of uncovering the full truth, the proper channels for this lie within the institutions of the system—ranging from the prosecutor’s office and the National Security Council to the courts—rather than in committees that are intended to serve the interests of individual parties and politicians for campaign purposes.

“We acknowledge the necessity to hasten certain prosecutorial investigations and advocate for improved performance by the security sector regarding the identification and prosecution of the most serious offenders. However, we firmly oppose the political exploitation of victims and any encroachment on the jurisdiction of the prosecutor’s office and courts, allowing ruling parties to conceal their institutional incapacity,” stated the DPS.

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