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Radomir Marković

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Radomir "Rade" Marković (born 11 August 1946) was the head of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's State Security Service (SDB) from 1998 to 2001. In 2008, the Supreme Court of Serbia sentenced Marković to 40 years' imprisonment for orchestrating a 1999 attack on Serbian opposition politician Vuk Drašković.

Head of security service

Marković was born to a Bosnian Serb family in Lukavac, Tuzla, Yugoslavia, in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1] Under Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević, Marković was appointed to succeed Jovica Stanišić as the head of the SDB on 27 October 1998.[2] After Milošević lost the 2000 Yugoslav presidential election to challenger Vojislav Koštunica, Marković formally resigned his position on 25 January 2001.[3]

Arrest and trials

Marković was arrested by Yugoslav police in February 2001 and was charged with committing "the criminal act of abuse of official position" by organising the 1999 Ibar Highway assassination attempt of Vuk Drašković, which resulted in the deaths of four people.[1] Marković was found guilty by the Belgrade District Court and on 18 July 2005 was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment.[4]

However, in May 2006, the Supreme Court of Serbia set aside the District Court verdict and ordered a retrial.[5][6] At his retrial, Marković was again convicted and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment.[7]

The verdict of the District Court was again overturned by the Supreme Court, and Marković was tried again, this time by a panel of Supreme Court judges.[8] On 2008-06-19, Marković was convicted by the Supreme Court and sentenced to the maximum 40 years' imprisonment.[8][9] Marković has the right to appeal the verdict to a different panel of the Supreme Court.[8]

Witness in Milošević trial

On 26 July 2002, Marković appeared as a witness before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the trial of Slobodan Milošević. During his testimony, Marković admitted to have signed a document against the former Yugoslav president under pressure, being threatened because of his judicial position.[10] He also stated that for his anti-Milošević testimony he and his family were offered a new life, with a new identity and money in a foreign country.[11]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "The Milosevic charge sheet", 2001-04-02, bbc.co.uk, accessed 2008-06-20.
  2. ^ Fred Abrahams (2001). Under Orders: War Crimes in Kosovo (New York: Human Rights Watch ISBN 1-56432-264-5) p. 83.
  3. ^ "Radomir Markovic's Resignation", 2001-08-24, serbia-info.com, accessed 2008-06-20.
  4. ^ "Former Serbian secret police guilty of murder", Irish Examiner, 2005-07-19.
  5. ^ "Serbian Supreme Court annuls sentences in Ibar motorway case, orders retrial", BBC News, 2006-05-19.
  6. ^ "Serbian court overturns conviction for minister's attempted murder", Agence France Presse, 2006-05-16.
  7. ^ "Ten jailed in Serbia over 1999 assassination attempt", Agence France Presse, 2007-02-16.
  8. ^ a b c "Serb security men guilty of political death plot", Reuters, 2008-06-19, accessed 2008-06-20.
  9. ^ Slobodan Lekic, "Serbia's top court sentences former security chief", Associated Press, 2008-06-19, accessed 2008-06-20.
  10. ^ http://www.un.org/icty/transe54/020726IT.htm
  11. ^ "The Milosevic Case, min 25" (video).
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