Charges filed against ex-PM, JSO members

The mother and sister of Zoran Djindjic have filed criminal charges against Milorad Ulemek, Vojislav Kostunica and Aco Tomic. The charges refer to the 2001 mutiny of the Special Operations Unit (JSO; Red Berets), a formation that was disbanded after Djindjic was assassinated in 2003. Charges filed against ex-PM, JSO members Another name in the criminal complaint is that of Zvezdan Jovanovic and five former JSO members. Ulemek and Jovanovic are currently serving 40 years in prison each after they were found guilty of conspiring and executing a plan to kill Djindjic. Lawyer Srdja Popovic, who submitted the charges, told B92 in Belgrade today that they were very important because they could help in the investigation into the political background of the assassination. “It's a very serious criminal act against constitutional order which was not investigated. The mutiny was an introduction to the assassination, a political introduction to the assassination, and that was later swept under the carpet,“ Popovic asserted. He also pointed out that top state officials had been promising for years that the investigation into the Red Beret mutiny would begin, but that no progress was made. “The prosecution must react to the criminal charges, naked promises make no sense anymore,“ Popovic said. Ulemek, Jovanovic, Dusan Maricic and another four members of former JSO are accused of organizing the mutiny in November 2001 together with the leader of the organized crime gang knows as the Zemun Clan, Dusan Spasojevic. The members of the JSO, which was at that point part of the MUP, fully armed and with 24 humvee combat vehicles blocked the Gazela Bridge in Belgrade and demanded that arrest and extradition of the Hague fugitives be governed by the law. Charges were also filed against Kostunica, because he as president of Yugoslavia (SRJ) did not use his constitutional authority and did not order the army to be sent in to quell the mutiny. Tomic, who was chief of a military counter-intelligence agency at the time, is accused of giving guarantees to the JSO commander that the army would not interfere. A little over a month ago, the Special Prosecution for Organized Crime launched a pre-trial proceeding into the JSO mutiny. Such an investigation has been mentioned for years and the Special Prosecutor Miljko Radisavljevic told B92 TV program Insajder in 2008 that he would investigate the political background of Djindjic's assassination after verdicts for his murder had come into effect. The 2001 JSO mutiny DSS reacts The opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) today reacted to the news by rejecting the accusations leveled at its leader Vojislav Kostunica, saying that "the incessant primitive campaign against DSS has gone too far". A party statement also contains personal insults aimed at Srdja Popovic: "Only a morally faltered and perverted creature such as lawyer Srdja Popovic, the defender of Ustasha leader Artukovic, can dare perform such a diabolical and senseless act, in order to project his own person and accuse others of acts that only he himself would be capable of committing. Only the worst type of agitator (in favor) of killing Serbs, such as lawyer Popovic, who signed a request for this hometown of Belgrade and Serbia to be bombed, can wash his dirty conscience by falsely accusing innocent people. DSS is exposing the moral abomination of lawyer Popovic with utter disdain, and is condemning in the strongest terms the agitator of this abhorrent hysteria." Popovic reacted by saying he was glad that the party had finally reacted and that the way in which it was done showed that DSS had no arguments. He would not comment on the tone of the statement.

Charges filed against ex-PM, JSO members

Another name in the criminal complaint is that of Zvezdan Jovanović and five former JSO members.

Ulemek and Jovanović are currently serving 40 years in prison each after they were found guilty of conspiring and executing a plan to kill Đinđić.

Lawyer Srđa Popović, who submitted the charges, told B92 in Belgrade today that they were very important because they could help in the investigation into the political background of the assassination.

“It's a very serious criminal act against constitutional order which was not investigated. The mutiny was an introduction to the assassination, a political introduction to the assassination, and that was later swept under the carpet,“ Popović asserted.

He also pointed out that top state officials had been promising for years that the investigation into the Red Beret mutiny would begin, but that no progress was made.

“The prosecution must react to the criminal charges, naked promises make no sense anymore,“ Popović said.

Ulemek, Jovanović, Dušan Maričić and another four members of former JSO are accused of organizing the mutiny in November 2001 together with the leader of the organized crime gang knows as the Zemun Clan, Dušan Spasojević.

The members of the JSO, which was at that point part of the MUP, fully armed and with 24 humvee combat vehicles blocked the Gazela Bridge in Belgrade and demanded that arrest and extradition of the Hague fugitives be governed by the law.

Charges were also filed against Koštunica, because he as president of Yugoslavia (SRJ) did not use his constitutional authority and did not order the army to be sent in to quell the mutiny.

Tomić, who was chief of a military counter-intelligence agency at the time, is accused of giving guarantees to the JSO commander that the army would not interfere.

A little over a month ago, the Special Prosecution for Organized Crime launched a pre-trial proceeding into the JSO mutiny.

Such an investigation has been mentioned for years and the Special Prosecutor Miljko Radisavljević told B92 TV program Insajder in 2008 that he would investigate the political background of Đinđić's assassination after verdicts for his murder had come into effect.

DSS reacts

The opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) today reacted to the news by rejecting the accusations leveled at its leader Vojislav Koštunica, saying that "the incessant primitive campaign against DSS has gone too far".

A party statement also contains personal insults aimed at Srđa Popović:

"Only a morally faltered and perverted creature such as lawyer Srđa Popović, the defender of Ustasha leader Artuković, can dare perform such a diabolical and senseless act, in order to project his own person and accuse others of acts that only he himself would be capable of committing. Only the worst type of agitator (in favor) of killing Serbs, such as lawyer Popović, who signed a request for this hometown of Belgrade and Serbia to be bombed, can wash his dirty conscience by falsely accusing innocent people. DSS is exposing the moral abomination of lawyer Popović with utter disdain, and is condemning in the strongest terms the agitator of this abhorrent hysteria."

Popović reacted by saying he was glad that the party had finally reacted and that the way in which it was done showed that DSS had no arguments. He would not comment on the tone of the statement.