http://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes.php?yyyy=2014&mm=11&dd=24&nav_id=92338BELGRADE - Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday gave a demarche to Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay over the murder of a Serbian man in Istanbul.25-year-old Marko Ivković traveled to Turkey to attend the Galatasaray-Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) basketball match.
“We want the truth about this criminal act,” Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić told reporters, adding that the Turkish minister of sports will be at the airport in Istanbul on Saturday to escort the coffin with the body of the murdered Serbian fan.
Dačić noted that about a week ago Turkish fans attended a match in Belgrade where strong security measures were in place to ensure their safety.
Serbian Consul General in Istanbul Zoran Marković told Tanjug that the organization in Istanbul was very poor despite his warning to the authorities that it would be a high-risk match.
Ivković was stabbed to death on Friday evening near the sports arena in Istanbul that hosted the Euroleague match between the Serbian team and local Galatasaray.
According to the Serbian consul, Ivković was stabbed in the chest in a fight that broke out outside the Abdi Ipekci Arena.
The resuscitation attempts lasted five hours, but the young man died of severe blood loss despite all efforts of the Turkish medical team, said Marković.
"Urgent investigation"
In a telephone call to Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić on Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu expressed his condolences on the death of Crvena Zvezda supporter Marko Ivković (25).
The Serbian prime minister "voiced outrage at the despicable crime committed against a citizen of Serbia," the government's media cooperation office said in a release.
Serbia demands that the perpetrator be urgently found, arrested and most severely punished, said Vučić.
He told Davutoglu that "coach of the Galatasaray basketball club Ergin Ataman is not welcome in Serbia after the statement in which he accused the murdered young man and all Crvena Zvezda supporters of terrorism."
The Serbian prime minister stressed that only a few weeks ago Serbia welcomed a three times larger group of Besiktas fans and ensured their security in Belgrade.
Davutoglu expressed regret over the loss of a young life and promised that the Turkish authorities will do everything to find the perpetrator and bring them to justice, the release states.
Galatasaray fans attacked on Friday evening outside the Abdi Ipekci Arena a group of around 400 supporters of the Serbian team who arrived in Istanbul for the match.
They were unable to enter the arena as the organizer broke the agreement and prevented them from buying the tickets. This triggered fan violence and incidents outside the arena and forced the police to intervene.
The Turkish hooligans threw stones and flares at Crvena Zvezda fans, and one of them inflicted the fatal wounds that killed Ivković.
Protest
Around 1,000 people lit candles in the church of St. Mark on Saturday evening and paid their silent respects to Marko Ivković.
Crvena Zvezda President Nebojsa Čović and Sports Director Davor Ristović, as well as former coach of the Crvena Zvezda football club Vladan Lukić attended the vigil.
Those gathered headed towards the Turkish embassy of but the police prevented them from coming too close to the building, Tanjug said.
They held a protest nearby over the murder while he was trying to move away from the conflicts in which he did not take part.
The protesters held pictures of the murdered youth and a banner with his name, sang Crvena Zvezda fan songs and "Tamo Daleko", a traditional Serbian song from the period of World War I, and chants in support of the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija.
The protest passed off without any incidents, and an hour later the plane with the body of Marko Ivković landed at the Belgrade airport.
His family took over the body in the presence of Minister of Youth and Sports Vanja Udovičić and Nebojša Čović.
Topic: Demarche to Turkish ambassador over death of Serbian man (Read 5159 times)