Strangling North Dakota with no mercy
The paper has another article out, showing Hidanovic's "troubling" history. It appears he turned down an offer to take a lesser charge.
I don't quite know what his past has to do with anything. It is clear the trial wasn't fair. I am not sure what the legal options are, can a mistrial be declared after sentencing? I'm not sure.
That's a pretty incompetent defense lawyer, letting that bitch into the jury pool.
This should be a mistrial. Eve if she did get into the jury pool, she cannot call upon prior experience. I think the conviction can be overturned.
Stick him in the marines.
craziness.
my friend did jury duty and said he was amazed how unseriously most of the people took it.
I wonder what was up with the other jurors? Why were they apparently open to such comments?
Disgusting. Not quite as bad as Taxas "justice", but close enough.
It sadly seems likely that the whole jury was in on it.
Just in random conversations with co-workers, I've been surprised to hear bouts of racism.
Is there some fargo club or secret society?
Now that I think about it, they most likely meet at Kenny Chesney concerts.
This is the same place where Leonard Peltier was tried and convicted.
I'm not surprised.
I am Mevludin's wife and I cannot believe everything that happened in his trial. I went to school to be a paralegal and have never seen anything like this. Funny the media doesn't mention the bat that suddenly became missing during the trial and the polygraph tests we all passed saying he wasn't involved. The witnesses that couldn't for sure say it was him. WHAT happened to beyond a resonable doubt? All they care to mention is negative stupid things that happened in the past. We have lost our home, cars and our lives due to this. We have a hearing on April 5 to determine if he gets a new trial. The newspaper is doing such a "great job" covering his story they even put the WRONG PICTURE of a guy over my husband's name. I feel sorry for that guy!!
The day after they had that story on the racist jury, they had to have a story on Mevludin's "troubling" past. What the fuck is that about? What does that have to do with anything? Where is the outrage Fargo!! It is quite clear that the justice system here is shit.
I wish you, and Mevludin, the best of luck!
(I don't think that I have ever met your husband, but I have been told he used to work at the same place I currently do. I am not sure though.)
Even more exciting and false newpaper articles are printed today. It is amazing how bad they can make you look! Fahrudin Hidanovic (the guy who actually had the bat- the one they think is Mevludin) went into the Police department to "throw them off" his trail. He is very worried now that everything is coming out about the fight and he could potentially be re-charged with an assault with a weapon charge. So he fabricates this whole story that the Fargo Forum decides to print as the true. Unbelievable!
I offered to pay for a polygraph test for him to take and he refuses. We took one and passed and if he really had nothing to do with it then what does he have to hide?? Why wasn't the bat introduced as evidence? Why wasn't it fingerprinted? An innocent person is sitting 18 months for this!
I read that article. I really don't see how any of the charges against Mevludin are still relevant. If a new trial is granted, I don't think that the prosecution has much of a case.
We didn't think they had a case last time either and now he is in jail for 18 months. We will find out April 5th if he gets a new trial or not.
I wish you both luck. I can only imagine the stress. Cases like this are shattering the little hope left I had in our judicial system.
Well we didn't get a new trial. Exactly what I expected from Judge Webb. I have truly lost all faith in our system. I am disppointed that I used to feel safe and now I am just scared and angry.
The paper reported today that this juror who made the racist comments was fired from her job on Thursday.
Can anything positive come out of this? Is there any hope for help here?
I honestly don't know. You can appeal right?
The appeal process costs about $25,000 and you would have about a 7% chance of overturning a conviction. I guess if you are an innocent person in jail you eventually just have to give up on everything.
Court records show Hidanovic pleaded guilty in February to a menacing
charge for a fight outside the West Fargo VFW last May, about a month
before the Red River Valley Fair fight.
A woman accused Hidanovic of dragging her by the hair and kicking her
in the stomach. He said he was breaking up a fight and did not hit
her.
The woman Hidanovic married last year, Chanda Thomte, told police in
2004 that Hidanovic beat her, threatened to kill her and her father,
ordered other Bosnian men to follow her and attempted to push her car
into oncoming traffic with his BMW. Officers reported bruises, cuts
and swelling to her eye, jaw, arms and legs.
"She also has informed me that she would recant any statement she
gives to me for fear that she would be in danger or her parents would
be in danger," Officer Julie Hinkel wrote in a June 21, 2004, report.
She attributed the couple's problems to the inability to communicate
and understand differences in their cultures. Counseling helped them
work through problems, she said.
I am really loving these anonymous additions to every blog Mevludin is in! State your name...state the facts. As I have responded previously......
OK yes we did get into a fight. I am sure no other couples have done that before. I was yelling at him and someone called the police. We were going to break up. I was fed up with the differences in cultures. I would never be the perfect Bosnian wife who irons his jeans. It was a difficult time for us but we managed to pull through it. We are after all married now. When the police got to my place there were as many marks on Mevludin as there were on
me. Mevludin chose not to press charges on me but I was pissed and told the police eveything they wanted to hear. Did I ever think it would someday be splattered all over every newspaper in ND?? NO. I do regret all of it. We did go to couseling and anger management. We do communicate better now. If you have never done anything in your life that you regret then I COMMEND you! I am far from perfect.
And as for the woman that accused Mevludin of hurting her. Mevludin's brother was actually in a fight. His brother was drinking at a wedding and another guy who was also drinking started fighting. Mevludin got in between them and broke it up. The woman who claims to be injured threw herself into it all trying to fight with her drunk husband.
I am not making excuses for Mevludin I am just trying to shed more light on a negative article in the paper. The news can make anyone look bad if they want. Just because Mevludin did manage to get himself tangled into a couple of ridiculous situations does not make him guilty of every violent crime from now on! You cannot and should not be found guilty for anything you may have done in your past or for your race!
Thanks again Anonymous...a true detective pulling old Media clips. After all everything printed in the Newspapers is TRUE...right??
I hope one day you can experience this in your life....and I hope every stupid thing you have ever done in your life is splattered in the news. I guess polygraph tests don't mean squat to you...I sure hope you have to defend your self someday and see what it is like.
Anyways....Graeme.. our website is almost done. Some of the links are not working but should be by the end of the week.
www.freehidanovic.com
Thanks for everything.
Send him back to Bosnia, thank the ACLU and churches for bringing in these great people NOT.
Have you read everything and truly believe he is guilty? He turned down a 30 day sentence because he is innocent, He passed a lie detector test because he is innocent.
Good luck to you in your life. It is people like you that are the reason things like this can happen.
I hope you get to experience injustice someday too! You are one that would actually deserve it not Mevludin.
DEPORT, DEPORT, DEPORT!!!! Chanda, if you love him so much, then move back to Bosnia with him. Then maybe the two of you can start your own scrap metal theft "business" over there. please quit whining because everybody is sick of hearing about it. If you don't like our justice system and feel it is "unjust", then get out of our country. Go to Bosnia and see what is really unjust. You guys are no angels and you know it. he just finally got caught.
I would gladly move with him. If that is what it comes down to. He has never stolen scrap metal. We have had our own scrap stolen before. We have every receipt for every time he has bought metal. You need that kind of thing for taxes, you know.
BTW...I am American. I have lived in Fargo pretty much my whole life...THIS IS MY COUNTRY.
If you think our justice system is Flawless then I hope and pray you get to experience it someday.
If you are so sick of hearing me whine about it then stop listening.
Ignorance is sad.
http://thumbsnap.com/v/5deFi7lc.jpg
I have friends, family and co-workers who all know Mevludin and I, that are supportive and caring. To have those people believe in us and help us get through this is all that matters.
1. Please do move with him.
2. Sure have receipts for the scrap you "bought". Obviously you won't have any for what you stole though.
3. I know you're American. But you are one of the worthless ones that we don't need here. Please leave as soon as possible.
4. I will not have to go through the court system because I FOLLOW THE LAWS....cultural ignorance is no excuse.
5. Instead of telling me to stop listening to you whine, why don't you just STOP WHINING!
6. Ignorance IS sad, but so is your inablitity to accept the consequences for husbands actions. Apparently, he wasn't able to buy his way out this one.
1. Don't worry about me moving. It won't come to that. We plan to fight it through the court system.
2. Where are you getting this stolen scrap metal? Obviously confused. There have been scrap thefts yes but that has nothing to do with Mevludin. We have had our OWN scrap stolen and that's not funny.
3. I really appreciate you calling me worthless. Really nice. Way to judge!
4. Good for you. I am glad you are a perfect example of all the perfect people out there. I, however have never claimed to be perfect, I am human and make mistakes.
5. I will never stop talking about injustice. It is something no one deserves.
6. Your inablilty to accept the TRUTH is sad. Open your eyes. Read the polygraphs, read the trial, make an educated statement. Lose your grudge and see the truth. You can hate me, you can hate Bosnians...You can hate all you want but I can only hope and pray we can win our appeal.
i completely agree that ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law. However that only applies if you break the law. its unfortunate that people are so blinded by their prejudices that they can not see the truth. no one is in any place to judge who should be in this country especially if they take the necessarry steps to come to america legally and follow the laws and try to make a better life for themselves and still be found guilty of a crime they did not commit that sir is the true crime
there is a reason why polygraphs are NOT admissible in court. they are easy to beat. it works both ways not just for "innocent" people but also people who admit to doing wrong.
I never said anything about "hating" you or bosnians. You would just like to make it look that way so you play your "race card". sorry but mev is lighter skin than me.
I've said my peace and i'm done checking this stupid blog. it is giving you way more attention than you deserve. you are a moron for thinking people care about this case.
maybe if you try to buy me off, i'll quit blogging and making you look like the idiot you are.
Have a nice life in Bosnia
Not only did Mevludin pass the polygraph but so did I and his best friend Nurija. If all of us could "beat" the test that would be a miracle.
The "race card" is obviously a pretty big one if one of the Jurors came forward and said she found him guilty based on race. I never pulled out that "race card", she did.
Obviously people do care or there wouldn't have been 1500 hits so far on his site. There wouldn't be blogs out there talking about him. There wouldn't be over 100 supporters wearing his t-shirts all over town.
You look like the moron. Not necessary for you to keep checking the blog. I will no longer address your ignorance.
Good Day
It is never necessary to make a point or an opinion with using words like worthless, idiot and moron. It just provokes an angry backlash and none of that is necessary. There can be debate about a subject without name calling. I am just asking that people be decent.
Thank you...my apologies for rebuttal using moron. I don't want to stoop to that level.
I'm appealed at the fact that even in the 21th century it is possible for a hoard of angry villagers to prosecute and convict a person based solely on hearsay. These cases only prove that the justice system is not foolproof despite the numerous and glorified attempts to paint it perfect by contemporary pop culture. I wish the best to Mr. Hidanovic and his family. I imagine that you have a long and strenuous fight ahead, and I wish you the best of luck.
sorry the correct word in the first sentence is "appalled" (it was an unintentional typo) ......
Thank You
Dear Chanda,
As first I'd like to express my sympathies and support to your family. I hope the justice system will consider the truth and you'll both continue normal life asap.
As Bosnian I need to add a comment on the whole cultural thing and your own comments on this. As you said yourself it's a strange culture. Anyway I'm sad and disappointed in ourselves when I say that we are chauvinistic towards Gypsies. I'm avoiding the word racist as I think that there is only one human race.
Back to chauvinism, the big majority of Bosnians don't really like Gypsies as they are somehow always been on the edge of society. Gypsy-Bosnian culture is certainly not representative for most of Bosnians and really needs distinction.
Don't get me wrong I like the diversity and mix of cultures present in Bosnia it's just that only in recent years we are really accepting gypsies as part of society and they are finally willing to participate in it, at least thats what they say on the news in Bosnia. Sadly most of Gypsies still don't live with us but only among us.
Times change, maybe this will too.
Thank You for your comments. It is very diffcult to understand as Americans. I guess the closest way to understand would be to think of Native American Indaians. They have different tribes (Sioux, Chippewa, Etc) but they are all still Native Amercian Indians but are very different. There are Bosians here in Fargo as well as Gypsy Bosnians. All born in Bosnia yet very different. All I can say is there are good and bad in all cultures. I may think of some of thing things Mevludin or his family do as "weird" but we Americans have some pretty odd traditions ourselves. I never thought in a million years that I would meet the love of my life, my true soulmate and he would be from another country.
Mevludin's appeal to the ND Supreme Court was denied today.
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