POLITICS-SERBIA&MONTENEGRO: Underworld Surfaces Again

By Vesna Peric Zimonjic Reprint | | Print |

Vesna Peric Zimonjic

BELGRADE, Mar 13 2003 (IPS) - The assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic has shocked Serbs out of their belief that the days of violence ended with the fall of former president Slobodan Milosevic two years ago.

Three men were arrested immediately after the assassination. But a larger hunt is on. The Supreme Defence Council has directed army units to join the police in search of the killers and conspirators.

The assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic has shocked Serbs out of their belief that the days of violence ended with the fall of former president Slobodan Milosevic two years ago.

Three men were arrested immediately after the assassination. But a larger hunt is on. The Supreme Defence Council has directed army units to join the police in search of the killers and conspirators.

Hundreds came to lay flowers and light candles at the steps of the government headquarters where Djindjic was shot. A public show of emotion of this kind is unusual in Serbia.

Djindjic (50), the energetic and pragmatic prime minister who was leading the economic reforms died at the Belgrade Emergency Centre Wednesday afternoon after he was shot.

Djindjic was leaving his car on crutches. He had a leg injury after a football game.

Djindjic had bypassed the law in 2001 to arrest and extradite Milosevic for trial at The Hague. Djindjic masterminded the downfall of Milosevic in October 2000 and was the politician Milosevic most openly hated.

Early suspicions point to leaders of organised crime who had enjoyed Milosevic’s patronage. Serbian authorities say supporters of the so-called Zemun Clan are behind the killing.

Zemun is a neighbourhood in Belgrade widely believed to be home to powerful crime figures who had operated freely in the Milosevic days. They were reported to have close links with the police.

These figures profited from smuggling of petrol, cigarettes, weapons and drugs in the years of economic sanctions imposed on Serbia.

The authorities said last night that these underworld leaders are behind dozens of abductions, about 50 gang-style killings in the past few years and the creation of a network of organised crime across former Yugoslavia which fell apart in 1991.

”The criminal act is a clear attempt by those who have been trying to stop the development of Serbia and its democratisation, to change the course of history, to isolate and turn Serbia into the kingdom of organised crime again,” deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic told journalists.

Djindjic had said repeatedly in recent months that the fight against organised crime was the prime task of his government. Most Serbs approved of this, but many disliked Djindjic’s swift push to market economy that left thousands jobless with little improvement in living standards.

Questions have arisen now over the pace of reforms. ”Djindjic’s death will slow down the badly needed reforms for a while,” analyst Budimir Babovic told IPS.

For the first time in decades, the Serbian government has declared a state of emergency ”to prevent further consequences that could jeopardise the constitutional order and safety of the country.”

The state of emergency has brought suspension of some basic rights like privacy. Authorities can have access to mail and other forms of communication. Large rallies and strikes are banned.

”This is the biggest test for democracy since Milosevic fell from power,” says Vojin Dimitrijevic, professor of law at Belgrade University. ”However feeble its roots are, it would be very bad to see the death of Djindjic destroy them.”

But analyst Bratislav Grubacic says there will be no chaos. ”The political powers in Serbia are capable of achieving consensus on maintaining order in the country to avoid worse consequences,” he told IPS.