Serbia and Montenegro: Alleged military cover-up in the Topcider deaths
Amnesty International calls on the authorities of Serbia and Montenegro to resolve the contradictions surrounding the
deaths of two soldiers. The organization raises its concerns following the announcement of the findings of the State
Commission of Inquiry into the deaths of the soldiers which contradict the official military version. The soldiers,
Drazen Milanovic and Dragan Jakovljevic, were found dead on 5 October 2004 while on sentry duty at the Topcider military
complex in Belgrade.
"The State Commission's findings are in contrast to the conclusions of the military investigations which denied any
third party involvement, and raise suspicions that the military has attempted a cover-up," Hugh Poulton Amnesty
International's researcher on Serbia and Montenegro said.
Amnesty International notes that forensic scientists working for the State Commission of Inquiry have definitely ruled
out the possibility that either soldier committed suicide, and ballistic analysis shows that both were shot with the
same weapon.
"If there was third party involvement, the two men were murdered and those responsible must be brought to justice.
Furthermore, there should also be an impartial investigation into what appears to be a military cover-up of the
incident," Hugh Poulton said.
The possible lack of impartiality in the military investigation raises further concern about the continued existence of
a military judicial system which by now should have been replaced, according to the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and
Montenegro, by a civilian judicial authority,
The initial military investigation into the deaths claimed that after a quarrel Drazen Milanovic had shot Dragan
Jakovljevic and then had committed suicide, and that there was no other party involved in the killings. However, a spate
of rumours and allegations surfaced claiming that they had in fact been murdered, possibly because they had seen a
high-profile indictee of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia who, it was suggested, was in
hiding in the Topcider complex.
Background
On 13 October an independent inquiry into the deaths was ordered by the President of Serbia and Montenegro Svetozar
Marovic and a State Commission of Inquiry was set up to do this.
Meanwhile the military judiciary continued with its own investigations which subsequently announced that their findings
now indicated that Dragan Jakovljevic had shot Drazen Milanovic and then committed suicide. In all its scenarios the
military repeatedly denied any third party involvement.
On 14 November the military investigative magistrate heading the military inquiry, Captain Vuk Tufegdzic, announced that
their inquiry had established that there was no third party involvement in the killings. On 19 November this was
repeated by the President of the Belgrade Military Court, Colonel Djordje Trifunovic, and on 22 October the Supreme
Defence Council of Serbia and Montenegro again reiterated that no one else had been involved in the deaths.
After a long delay and much speculation, the State Commission of Inquiry flatly contradicted the military versions.
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