Background
Sofija Tešić is a pensioner. She told a journalist that a lawyer had deliberately failed to properly represent her. After the journalist published an article about it, the lawyer brought criminal and civil proceedings against Sofija. The lawyer won the case. Sofija was sentenced to six months’ suspended imprisonment, and she was ordered to pay the equivalent of almost €5,000 in compensation.
Sofija's monthly pension was worth the equivalent of only €170. The Serbian courts ordered that two thirds of it be sent directly to the lawyer to pay off the debt. According to Sofija, this left her without enough money to live. She complained that her gas was disconnected for unpaid bills, and that she was not able to pay for the medication she needed for various serious diseases.