Police detain more suspects in beating of teens in Vukovar

Police in Vukovar have detained three more suspects in connection to the beating of six teenage boys by a group of men in their twenties on Saturday. 

A 23-year-old man who was arrested on Monday has been remanded to custody.

"Vukovar-Srijem County police officers have located and arrested three men. We suspect they perpetrated this incident. They have been taken to the police station and they will be questioned so that we can determine all the facts in this case," said Dragoslav Živnović from the Vukovar-Srijem County Police Department.

Of the six boys, three suffered injuries severe enough to require hospital care. One of them has been discharged the other two are in stable condition at Osijek Hospital.

"We simply do not want these kinds of things to happen in our city because this city deserves better," said a father of one of the victims who declined to be named publicly.

There has been a lot of speculation in the media whether the attack was ethnically motivated. Vukovar's Mayor said yesterday he believed the attackers were football hooligans.

The Independent Democratic Serb Party, the SDSS, spoke out today about the attack. SDSS leader Milorad Pupovac rejected the idea that the attack had anything to do with teen violence or a fight between rival football club supporters. He described it as a brutal attack on children prompted by the fact that the attackers heard one of the victims speaking Serbian.

"It is time to start working on building tolerance in Vukovar towards our differences. The tolerance towards violence on the part of groups that enjoy material support and protection of state institutions needs to stop," said Pupovac.

Mayor Ivan Penava condemned the attack and said that there has to be a concerted effort at all levels to reduce violence in Vukovar.

"I have always have understanding for both sides but when something like this happens, the punishment needs to be clear. As a society, we must also work with all sides to ensure this doesn't happen. We have to make sure all of our citizens are safe on the streets,” said Penava.

The families of the victims say they do not feel safe in their community and are organizing a protest on Saturday.