Djindjic death: Ex-policeman accused

BBC ^ | 2003/03/12 20:48:10

[DeaconBenjamin]

A former commander of a special police unit led the group which assassinated Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, the government alleges.

In a statement the government said the commander, Milorad Lukovic who is better known as Legija, was among 20 suspects.

The pro-reform, pro-Western leader was shot in the stomach and in the back outside government offices in Belgrade at about 1300 local time (1200 GMT), and died of his wounds in hospital.

Acting Serbian President Natasa Micic has declared a state of emergency under which some civil rights can be curtailed and the army takes over police duties.

"The assassination on Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic was an attempt by this group to halt the fight against organised crime," the government statement said.

Mourning

Police carrying machine-guns sealed off the area, searching cars and checking passengers. All bus, rail and plane traffic in and out of Belgrade has also been halted.

Earlier, unconfirmed reports say two people have been arrested.

The Serbian cabinet, which observed a minute's silence when it met for crisis talks after the attack, has declared three days' mourning.

"This criminal act is an absolutely clear attempt by those who have tried to prevent Serbian development and its democratic process with assassinations in the past, to change the course of history and isolate Serbia yet again," said Nebojsa Covic, a deputy prime minister.

Correspondents say the assassination of the prime minister heralds the start of turbulent days for Serbia, leaving the country with a potentially dangerous political power vacuum.

Mrs Micic told Serbian Radio she declared the state of emergency "with the aim of safeguarding the security of people and property and engaging in a determined show-down of the state bodies with organized crime".

She urged people to remain calm but said the state of emergency would remain in place until the killers were brought to justice.

'Bad day for the Balkans'

Vojislav Kostunica, former Yugoslav president and long a rival of Mr Djindjic, said he was appalled by the attack.

"The fact that political violence is happening... is a terrible warning about how little headway we have made on the path of real democratisation of our society," he said just before Mr Djindjic's death was confirmed.

Europe has lost a friend... who fought hard for democracy European Union

The European Union expressed shock and dismay at the assassination, with Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, whose country holds the EU presidency, sending condolences to Mr Djindjic's family "and to entire Serb people".

"Europe has lost a friend... who fought hard for democracy," an EU statement said.

Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, a former adviser to EU High Representative to Bosnia Carl Bildt, paid tribute to Mr Djindjic.

"This is a really bad day for the Balkans, and it's a really bad day for Serbia," she said.

"Here was a man who more than any other single figure stood for the reform process, and... it now throws all the cards in the air."

The prime minister's wife Ruzica was seen in tears at the city's Military Medical Academy where her husband died.

Enemies

On 21 February Mr Djindjic survived what he said was an assassination bid when a lorry swung into the path of his motorcade as he was travelling to Belgrade airport.

He later dismissed the incident as a "futile effort" which could not stop democratic reforms.

Correspondents say that Mr Djindjic, 50, made many enemies over his career as a pro-democracy campaigner and then as Serbia's prime minister.

He was pivotal in arresting and handing Mr Milosevic over to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague in June 2001.

The move opened the way to international aid to the then Yugoslavia.

Committed campaigner

Zoran Djindjic was born in Bosanski Samac, Bosnia, the son of a Yugoslav People's Army officer.

CATALOGUE OF VIOLENCE March 2003: Serbian premier Zoran Djindjic shot dead Feb 2003: Djindjic says attempt made on his life June 2000: Serb opposition leader Vuk Draskovic survives shooting May 2000: Goran Zugic, national security adviser to pro-West Montenegrin president, shot dead October 1999: Draskovic survives road accident "assassination attempt"

He graduated from Belgrade University's philosophy faculty, but was jailed by Yugoslavia's Communist leader Josip Broz Tito in 1974 for trying to organise an independent students' group.

After his release, he went to West Germany and earned a PhD in philosophy.

Spurning the Communists, he returned to Belgrade in 1989 and co-founded the Democratic Party, joining other reformists to campaign against the authoritarian rule of Slobodan Milosevic.

After fleeing to Serbia's sister republic Montenegro during the Nato air strikes on Yugoslavia in 1999, Mr Djindjic returned to Belgrade to form the DOS movement with 17 other parties.

Their new street crusade for democracy culminated in the overthrow of Mr Milosevic after he refused to accept election defeat.

[Southack]

I hate to be cruel, but there is a *reason* that Serbia, which was bombed by France/Germany/U.S./UK in 1999 without UN approval, has not been complaining to every Western reporter with a pen, a laptop, or a TV camera about the "double-standard" for bombing Iraq today, and more than likely that reason died with the assassins' bullets today.

Ergo, almost certainly the hit was performed by those angered by the silent double-standard (i.e. Milosovic's loyalists).

And contrary to the spin that is already flying out of Leftwing pressrooms everywhere, this assasination had *NOTHING* to do with organized crime...

[Destro]

He was killed just as he was going to confront NATO over Kosovo. In a sense the Mafia did kill him, no?

[Poohbah]

Is it true that the shooter's name is Leovic Harvic Oswldavic?

[Destro]

Way off the mark....WHat would happen to NATO during the Spring as America is hip deep in Iraqi sand when Serbia under Western darling Djindjic starts to make waves in Kosovo?--Just a thought.

[Southack]

"WHat would happen to NATO during the Spring as America is hip deep in Iraqi sand when Serbia under Western darling Djindjic starts to make waves in Kosovo?--Just a thought."

True, but wasn't he Schroeder's/Chirac's guy??

I mean, Germany and France have been doing their UN tap dance over Iraq for at least the last 6 months, yet so far all of Serbia has been quite.

If you are right, then he had far more patience than was required. He should have been blasting the "go to the UN" double-standard of France and Germany from day one, since neither of those countries wanted to go to the UN when they had NATO bomb Serbia 4 years ago today (an interesting anniversary).

... and that's why I have some doubt about your theory, and instead think that he was killed because he's been covering for France and Germany by remaining silent about their double-standard.

Then again, if you are correct, it would mean that France or Germany ordered the hit, something that *would* bring about WW3 based upon today's global realignment vis-a-vis Iraq.

[Southack]

yet so far all of Serbia has been quite.

Should read:

yet so far all of Serbia has been quiet. Sorry.

[Destro]

he was the West's man--and it freaked them out that he began to confront them over Kosovo.

[Southack]

If that's truly the case, then France's fingerprints are going to be all over this one.

If they don't have a ready-made Lee-Harvey-Oswald patsy already set-up to take the "lone gunman" blame, then this situation could rapidly get out of control.

But...

Why would he have waited this long before going to the press to complain about France's UN double standard (Iraq/Kosovo)?

It makes far more sense that he was covering for France/Germany; which would explain his silence for so many months as well as give the locals proper motivation for taking him out.

[LayoutGuru2]

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWassassination.htm

[GirlShortstop]

"The assassination on Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic was an attempt by this group to halt the fight against organised crime," the government statement said.

Vojislav Kostunica, former Yugoslav president and long a rival of Mr Djindjic, said he was appalled by the attack. "The fact that political violence is happening... is a terrible warning about how little headway we have made on the path of real democratisation of our society," he said just before Mr Djindjic's death was confirmed.

He later dismissed the incident as a "futile effort" which could not stop democratic reforms.

Spurning the Communists, he returned to Belgrade in 1989 and co-founded the Democratic Party, joining other reformists to campaign against the authoritarian rule of Slobodan Milosevic.

I am not seeing information to support the government's "organized crime" claim... What am I missing?

[Destro]

KFOR's military head is currently an Italian general isn't he? (not that there is anything wrong with that).

[William McKinley]

Which NATO would that be? NATO which follows America's lead, or NATO which follows France's?

And your proof that it was NATO, other than a desire to point the blame at something involving America is precisely what?

[William McKinley]

There are plenty of potential suspects if one focuses merely on motive. The mafia did not like him. The communists did not like him as he was a big anti-communist. The loyalists to Slobo hated him.

And, according to certain types here, despite being pro-western he was straying from being totally compliant to the west, and as such despite all the other possibilities, it must be that he was whacked by America's allies.

Hope that helps!

[MadelineZapeezda]

The anniversary of NATO bombing is March 24,( 1999).....not today.

[William McKinley]

Oh, I forgot to add. He also had a hand in stopping his country from supplying arms to Iraq, so Saddam probably hated him too.

But it must be NATO.

But don't listen to anything I say- it has already been established by a group of Freepers who frequent the Serbian threads that I am a NATO propagandist.

[Destro]

Kosovo is America's playground. But I did not place the blame on any NATO country just pointing out that the Mafia and NATO were on a planned "crack down". If saying that Kosovo is the wrong mission and wrong place to be I guess that means 80+% of FreeRepublic is on my side of the issue-I doubt you can call our crowd vlame America first--in reality we blame Germany first, then Blair's UK then Clinton and so on.

The Republican majority congress denied military authorization for Kosovo so I regard Kosovo as a rogue mission not authorized by the people's representatives and hence unconstitutional.