Zvezdan Jovanović ( sr-cyr, Звездан Јовановић; born 19 July 1965), known by the nicknames as Zmija and Zveki, is a Serbian former paramilitary and commander of the

Serb Volunteer Guard The Serb Volunteer Guard, SDG. Also known as Arkan's Tigers () or Arkan's men (). was an elite Serbian volunteer paramilitary unit founded and led by Željko Ražnatović (better known as "Arkan"). It was recognized for its superior bearing an ...

and the Special Operations Unit. In 2003, he

assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

Serbian Prime Minister

Zoran Đinđić Zoran Đinđić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Ђинђић, ; 1 August 1952 – 12 March 2003) was a Serbian politician and philosopher who served as the Prime Minister of Serbia, prime minister of Serbia from 2001 until Assassination of Zoran Đinđić, ...

and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Biography

Jovanović was born in the village of Breznica in Kosovo and Metohija, in 1965. He had been a

locksmith Locksmithing is the work of creating and bypassing locks. Locksmithing is a traditional trade and in many countries requires completion of an apprenticeship. The level of formal education legally required varies by country, ranging from no formal ...

until joining the

led by

Željko Ražnatović Željko Ražnatović (, ; 17 April 1952 – 15 January 2000), better known as Arkan (), was a Serbian warlord, mobster and head of the Serbs, Serb paramilitary force called the Serb Volunteer Guard during the Yugoslav Wars, considered one of the ...

in 1991. Jovanović had been a member of the feared Special Operations Unit and held the police rank of lieutenant colonel. He also participated in the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

in the 1990s, particularly in operations in

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

. He was awarded the Medal of Bravery after the wars ended for being a participant in all engagements for the Serbian Forces.

Assassination of Zoran Đinđić

Jovanović was arrested on the charges of being responsible for the

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

of Serbian Prime Minister

in March 2003. He was convicted of the murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison. The evidence connected him to the infamous Zemun Clan of Serbia's organized crime network, and to its alleged leader, Milorad Ulemek. Jovanović stated that he killed Đinđić to restore a pro-Milošević government. He was silent during most of his trial but allegedly, he soon confessed to the murder of Đinđić and said in a police report that he feels no remorse for killing him. Due to alleged interrogations, beatings and threats against his family, he claims to have been forced to falsely confess. On 23 May 2007, Jovanović was found guilty by the Belgrade Special Court for Combating Organized Crime and was sentenced to 40 years in prison for attempted murder and murder of a senior government official. In May 2008, Serbian Radical Party leader

Vojislav Šešelj Vojislav Šešelj ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав Шешељ, ; born 11 October 1954) is a Serbian politician and convicted war criminal. He is the founder and president of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS). Between 1998 and 2000, he was a D ...

compared the assassination of Đinđić to that of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by stating that "Jovanović wanted to enjoy the same fame and glory that

Gavrilo Princip Gavrilo Princip ( sr-Cyrl, Гаврило Принцип, ; 25 July 189428 April 1918) was a Bosnian Serb student who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie, Duchess von ...

has in Serbian history."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jovanovic, Zvezdan 1965 births Living people Kosovo Serbs Serbian assassins Serbian gangsters Zemun Clan Assassins of heads of government Serbian people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Serbia Military personnel from Peja 2003 murders in Europe Police officers convicted of murder

Biography

Assassination of Zoran Đinđić

See also

References