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14 Serbs convicted for killing Frenchman

26 January 2011 00:09 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A Belgrade court on Tuesday convicted 14 Serbs of the fatal beating of a French soccer fan, describing a brutal scene in which the attackers cornered the man, hit him with iron bars and threw him down a narrow stairway, APA reports quoting news.yahoo.com website.

The Higher Court sentenced the men to between 4 and 35 years in prison, with four ringleaders receiving sentences of between 30 and 35 years in jail. The court said most of them brutally attacked 28-year-old Brice Taton in front of a downtown cafe in the Serbian capital before Partizan Belgrade’s Europa Cup match against Toulouse on Sept. 17, 2009.

Serbia has seen a recent surge in fan violence. Last year, Serbian lawmakers amended the criminal law to pave the way for tougher penalties against far-right hooligan violence.

Hundreds of Partizan fans and family members of the convicted men gathered at the Belgrade court for the reading of the verdict, some sobbing after hearing the sentences, and others protesting by shouting "you will pay for this" at the judges.

Two of the convicted remain at large and were tried in absentia.

Taton’s family said through their lawyer that they were satisfied by the stiff sentences.

"I was not expecting there to be such heavy sentences," Philippe Maury, president of the Brice Taton Association, told Franch RMC radio. "There’s a sense of justice and reassurance, especially concerning our friend Brice. Even though this will never bring him back."

Defense lawyers said they will appeal the ruling, and claimed it was passed under political pressure.

"The politics has beaten the justice," said Svetozar Vujacic, a defense lawyer. "This scandalous conviction will certainly be quashed by the appeals court."

Serbia’s prosecution spokesman Tomo Zoric hailed the ruling, saying it showed that "Serbia’s judiciary is capable of quickly processing a very complex case."

In other cases of violence, about 150 people were injured last October during clashes between police and far-right supporters who tried to disrupt a gay pride march in the capital. Two days later, Serbian fans rioted in Italy during a European Championship qualifying match, causing it to be called off after seven minutes.