Four years since Đinđić assassination

Four years since Đinđić assassination

Đinđić family and the Democratic Party members have placed wreaths on the Zoran Đinđić’s grave, including Zoran’s wife Ružica, son Luka and sister Gordana.

Democrats' president Boris Tadić, and DS officials Bojan Pajtić, Dušan Petrović, Dragan Šutanovac and Nenad Bogdanović also paid their tribute.

A number of citizens have gathered at the Lane of the Great of Belgrade's New Cemetery to pay their respect to the late prime minister.

Caretaker prime minister Vojislav Koštunica and members of his outgoing cabinet, including ministers Milan Parivodić, Predrag Bubalo, Velimir Ilić, Slobodan Vuksanović, Bojan Dimitrijević, Zoran Stojković, Vojislav Vukčević, Milan Radulović, Dragan Kojadinović and Slobodan Lalović, placed wreaths at the commemorative plaque located at the Serbian Government building, where Đinđić was shot.

Đinđić’s former government ministers did the same marking the exact time of his death, at 12:30 p.m., including former interior minister Zoran Živković, who succeeded Đinđić as prime minister following the assassination, and former ministers Aleksandar Vlahović, Gašo Knežević, Goran Pitić, Gordana Matković, Dragan Milovanović, Dušan Mihajlović and deputy prime minister at the time Nebojša Čović.

The representatives of the coalition gathered around the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) paid a visit to the site of the assassination accompanied by several hundreds of citizens.

Zoran Đinđić was the first prime minister in the wake of Milošević’s regime downfall in 2000. The government he headed was elected on January 25, 2001.

His cabinet started the process of democratization and fundamental economic and social reforms of the Serbian society, devastated by wars, isolation and economic crises.

Western diplomats point to Đinđić’s contribution to improved relations between Serbia and all western countries, the United States in particular, after years of instability.

The Đinđić government worked to cooperate with the Hague Tribunal, listing a number of arrests and extraditions, including that of Slobodan Milošević, among its accomplishments.

Accused of not being sufficiently patriotic, Đinđić said: “What I consider patriotic is for my kids to stay in this country, to speak their mother tongue, without having to emigrate in order to make a living. Patriotism is my country respected, myself traveling proudly across any border carrying my passport. That is the kind of patriotism this government works for, and in that sense, we are great patriots.”

In the wake of the assassination, the authorities accused criminals from the so-called Zemun Gang as organizers and perpetrators of Đinđić’s murder. The group’s leaders were identified as Milorad Ulemek, also known as Legija, who previously headed the Red Berets, a special police unit that fought in the Balkan wars, as well as Dušan Spasojević Šiptar and Mile Luković Kum. The latter two died in a showdown with police weeks after the assassination, while Ulemek continues to stand trial at the Belgrade Special Court for Organized Crime.

Several hours after the assassination, a state of emergency was declared, which lasted until April 22, 2003.

On March 15, 2003, mourners, including over 70 foreign delegations, paid their final respects at St Sava's Temple before prime minister Zoran Đinđić was buried with full military honors in the Lane of the Great of Belgrade's New Cemetery.

“Đinđić knew how to value time”

Dragoljub Mićunović, regarded by many as Dindić’s political father, portrays Đinđić as a modern politician who learnt by living in European states how to appreciate time when it came to making decisions.

“In a slow and sluggish country, such as Serbia, it was very difficult to change the concept of time. Therefore, Đinđić tried to make a government out of younger people enriched with Western experience, who also learnt the value of it. I believe that Đinđić's vision of Serbia’s spirit is still far from being dominant in or political and social setting.” Mićunović explained.

Mićunović added that Đinđić’s methodology left a mark on some institutions, particularly on the Democratic Party.

“Koštunica to take the stand”

Đinđić family lawyer Srđa Popović reiterated his request that outgoing Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica and his associates take the stand as witnesses in the trial against Đinđić’s alleged assassins.

“I don’t intend to label them as accomplices, rather say they were political allies, since Koštunica and his party, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), backed the uprising of the Red Berets.” Popović argued.

“That is why I believe they have to appear before the court and explain the nature of their relations with the Red Berets.” Popović said adding that the prime minister assassination is “by definition a politically motivated act”.

“The Red Beret’s uprising at the end of 2001 was linked to Đinđić’s murder and no one can claim that Koštunica may have known that the uprising he backed could lead to the assassination. That’s why Koštunica could come forward and explain that he had no idea what could happen after the uprising.” Popović added.

Popović said he would like to question ministers Dragan Jočić and Zoran Stojković, and State Security Agency Chief Rade Bulatović of their meting with the first accused in the Đinđić murder case Milorad Ulemek after he had been taken into custody.

“Their meeting was illegal as the Trial Chamber Chairman had not been informed. It was thus kept a secret and to date they haven’t explained the reasons behind the meeting. The event is again linked to the DSS and needs clarification.” Popović said.

Ružica Đinđić seeks justice

Commenting on her husband's assassination trial, Ružica Đinđić , the widow of the late prime minister, expects that the Trial Chamber will confirm the principle of judicial independence and sanction the perpetrators according to the degree of the felony.

“The trial has been extended due to defense lawyers’ obstructions,” Ružica said adding that the Court must deal with the barriers and make a just ruling.

Ružica Đinđić have led the Democrats’ list for the elections held in January, but refused a seat in the parliament.

“Being a deputy exerts a lot of time and energy. My children need me by their side, and that’s why I chose to stay with them. I agreed to lead the DS’s list and thereby contribute to the party as much as I could,” Ružica Đinđić concluded.