Dear Mr. President of the Republic,
We are writing to you on the occasion of the release of Veselin Vukotic, a hitman and one of the most hardened criminals from the ranks of Milosevic’s secret police, who was sentenced to 20 years of prison in Montenegro in 1997, for murdering sea captain Dusko Boskovic.
As the citizens of this country, we are disturbed by the fact that Veselin Vukotic was released soon after being arrested, just before the New Year's Eve, as well as with the fact that the police, prosecutor’s office and the Court of Novi Sad were involved. Mr. President, the release of this evildoer thoroughly compromises the rights and freedoms of all the citizens of Serbia.
Mr. President, we remind you that the bloody string of state crimes in Serbia has continued since the beginning of the nineties, up to the assassination of Prime Minister Djindjic. The perpetrators were never found, let alone those who procured and ordered the many other political assassinations in Serbia, including the judge Nebojsa Simeunovic, as well as journalists Slavko Curuvija, Milan Pantic and Dada Vujasinovic. Mr. President, we remind you that Veselin Vukotic and his crimes were the subject of one of the last articles Dada Vujasinovic has written. Ten days later, on April 1994, she was assassinated.
Why did you release Vukotic? Someone like Vukotic (or perhaps it was him), slew the guards in the military barracks in Topcider park. The assassin was never found. Why did you release Vukotic?
Someone like Vukotic (if not himself), murdered judge Nebojsa Simeunovic. That executioner was never found. Why did you release Vukotic?
Despite the fact that the serial murderer Veselin Vukotic was on Interpol warrant at the time, on January 10th the Republic of Serbia issued an identification card to him, after it illegally approved his citizenship.
At the time, Mr. Tadic, you were the President of the Republic, and Mr. Dacic Ivica was the Minister of internal affairs.
Members of the relevant state institutions (the police and the prosecutor’s office), in cooperation with the Court in Novi Sad, released Vukotic to freedom shortly before the New Year's Eve, in violation of the law that they were obliged to protect. This was not their first offense of such nature.
We demand that Serbia fully respects its international obligations assumed by signing the Agreement with Montengro, on mutual extradition of nationals suspected or accused of organized crime and/or corruption.
We demand the arrest and prosecution of all members of the structures within the secret services, prosecutor’s office and courts, which have for years protected, concealed, funded with the state money, and finally released Veselin Vukotic the hitman. We believe that this would be a genuine start for reforming the very last unreformed secret service (civilian as well as military) in Eastern Europe. The power of the secret police, so far virtually intact, threatens the vital interests of both the state and the society, and blocks the constitution of Serbia as a rule-of-law state, based on European values.
We demand an investigation of the role of the Minister of internal affairs as well as the Minister of justice in this disgraceful issue, and their resignations. This open letter will be forwarded to the President of the Serbian Parliament, as well as all parliamentary parties.
Signatures:
Relatives of the victims:
On behalf of Dusko Boskovic’s family: Slobodanka Boskovic, his widow,
Veljko Boskovic, his father and Marsela Mirosevic, his sister
On behalf of Slavko Curuvija’s family: Jovo Curuvija, his brother
On behalf of RTS (Serbian Broadcasting Corporation) victims’ families: Zanka Stojanovic
On behalf of families of those murdered in Topcider barracks: Janko Jakovljevic, father
Intelectuals i public figures:
Vladimir Arsenic, writer
On behalf od “Biljana Kovacevic Vuco” fund: Dusan Bogdanovic
Janko Baljak, director
Dragan Banjac, journalist
Petar Lukovic, „e-Novine” editor in chief
Sonja Biserko, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
Miroslav Bojcic, journalist
Sasa Ciric, editor and essayist
Branislav Jelic, „e-Novine” internet portal CEO
Velimir Curgus Kazimir, Ebart media documentation CEO
Bojan Toncic, journalist
Snezana Congradin, jurnalist
Ervina Dabizinovic, psychologist
Filip David, writer
Mirko Djordjevic, sociologist of religion, essayist & translator
Milica Jovanovic, editor
Dinko Gruhonjic, chairman of The Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina
Dejan Ilic, publisher, writer & translator
Zarka Radoja, editor journalist
Saša Ilic, writer
Branislav Jakovljevic, university professor
Bozidar Jakšic, journalist & publicist
Zoran Janic, publicist & translator
Goran Necin, journalist
Tamara Kaliterna, journalist
Marko Kostic, editor
Gordana Logar, editor journalist
Svetlana Lukic, editorjournalist
Tomislav Markovic, editor journalist
Zlatoje Martinov, editor
Goran Miletic, human rights lawyer at Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Civil Rights Defenders
Jelena Milic, political analist, Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies
Mirjana Miocinovic, Faculty of Dramatic Arts retired professor
Rade Radovanovic, journalist & playwright
Nikola Samardzic, Faculty of Philosophy professor
Marko Matic, editor journalist
Nedim Sejdinovic, The Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina
Seška Stanojlovic, journalist editor
Lazar Stojanovic, director
Matja Stojanovic, journalist
Jasmina Tešanovic, writer
Dušan Komarcevic, journalist
Dragoljub Todorovic, solicitor & publicist
Iva Klisic, journalist
Dragoljub Vukovic, journalist
Svetlana Vukovic, editor & journalist
Miloš Zivanovic, editor
Miljenko Dereta
Zene u crnom, NGO
Vesna Rakic Vodinelic, Professor of Law