HLC: President Tadic should Protect Lt. Col. Lakic Djorovic

Humanitarian Law Center

The Humanitarian Law Centre addressed Boris Tadic, Serbian President, to warn him about the situation concerning Lakic Djorovic, lieutenant colonel of Serbian Army, who is exposed to abuse, humiliation and threats to his own life and the safety of his family ever since 2000, when he first talked publicly about war-crimes in Kosovo, and of which he knew due to his position as military prosecution officer in Pristina.

Because of his contacts with the Hague Tribunal, his acceptance to testify there, and a number of articles he published, Djorovic was transferred to the Kragujevac garrison, was charged with disciplinary actions on several occasions, and has received open threats that neither he, nor his family were safe. These last threats, following Djorovic�s criticism of orders issued by Minister of Defense on treatment of Hague suspects, prove it beyond any doubts that the Serbian Army protects the heritage of Slobodan Milosevic�s nationalist policies.

Only last week (January 16), two commanding officers of the Belgrade�s Military Policy battalion, Aleksandar Zivkovic and Luka Kojic, demanded from Djorovic to explain how did his text critical of the Minister of Defence�s orders appear in public.

The ostracism gained on intensity in August 2006, when Djorovic talked to the Hague Tribunal investigators on two separate occasions. Right before his two trips to the Hague, Djorovic was threatened by Predrag Dabetic, Inspector of Belgrade Police Department, who told him that he will be arrested at home if he didn�t go to Dabetic�s office prior to going to the Netherlands.

After his first meeting with the Tribunal, Djorovic was asked by a subordinate officer �...why didn�t he go back to Montenegro, to his family...� and �...what was he waiting for�. His colleagues from the officer corps wear red berets when they walk by him, while his superiors threaten him with disciplinary actions and discharge from the Army.

Djorovic wrote an official request for protection to President Tadic on October 10, 2006. However, the Kragujevac Command referred the request to Zoran Stankovic, Minister of Defence. The people around the Minister told Djorovic that it was his own fault, since he decided to testify at the ICTY.

HLC expects from President Tadic to act and put an end on the ostracism campaign against Lt. Col. Djorovic, to encourage publicly the members of the armed forces to present what they know about war crimes and to make it clear to guardians of Milosevic�s heritage that there will be no place for them in Serbia�s professional military.