Daily publishes details from Ćuruvija case indictment

Daily publishes details from Ćuruvija case indictment

According to this, Ćuruvija died a day after the initial attempt to kill him failed.

The newspaper said it had access to the 126-page indictment, which charges Kurak as the direct perpetrator and another former state security agency, DB, operative, Ratko Romić, as his accomplice.

The prosecution believes that Romić struck Branka Prpa on the head with his pistol, as she attempted to turn around. Prpa was Ćuruvija's partner and was with him at the time of the murder.

According to the indictment, DB chief Radomir Marković selected members of the Belgrade DB Center to carry out the killing, "because commander of the JSO Milorad Ulemek Legija refused to perform the task, justifying it with obligations that his units in Kosovo during the NATO bombing."

Ćuruvija was killed on April 11, 1999. On the day of the murder, between 16:38 and 16:45 CET, he and Prpa entered the passage of a residential building in 35 Svetogorska St. in Belgrade - then Ivo Lola Ribar St. According to the indictment, Romić and Kurak approached them from behind, after which Kurak shot Ćuruvija with a pistol that had a silencer attached.

The newspaper said in its report that the indictment does not say who ordered the killing, but that the commands were issued by Radomir Marković.

According to the charges, Ćuruvija was killed "in order to preserve the existing authorities, because of his public appearances at home and abroad, his criticism of the holders of political power, and the ability to influence public opinion and actions of opposition social forces."

Slobodan Ružić, a lawyer acting on behalf of Ćuruvija's children, said he believes the killers will be found guilty.

"This is about circumstantial evidence, but I have no doubt that these people were the ones who killed Ćuruvija. When there are 20 pieces of circumstantial evidence, then the court can determine guilt and I believe that they will be convicted," said Ružić.