Milorad Ulemek: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Serbian military commander and criminal (born 1968)}}

| employerbirth_date = {{Birth =date and age|df=yes|1968|03|15}}

| nickname = "Legija",<br />"Cema",<br />"Šareni",<br />"Ćoro"

| footnotesimage =

'''Milorad Ulemek''' ({{lang-sr|Милорад Улемек}}; born 15 March 19651968),<ref>His{{Cite birthyearweb in|title=Gvozdeni somerov sources- areMilorad 1968Ulemek Legija: knjiga {{!}} KorisnaKnjiga.[httpcom |url=https://www.korisnaknjiga.com/gvozdeni-rov-naslov-2489 Gvozdeni|access-date=2024-04-05 rov]|website=www.korisnaknjiga.com}}</ref>), also known as '''Milorad Luković''' ({{lang|sr|Милорад Луковић}}) and "'''Legija'''" ({{lang|en|"Legion"}}), is a Serbian former commander of the Serbian police special unit, the [[JSO (Special Operations Unit)|Special Operations Unit]] (JSO) and a former paramilitary commander, who was convicted of the assassinations of Serbian Prime Minister [[Zoran Đinđić]] and former Serbian President [[Ivan Stambolić]]. He was also convicted of conspiracy in the attempted murder of Serbian opposition leader [[Vuk Drašković]].<ref name="setimes 24.5.2007">[http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2007/05/24/feature-01 "Djindjic's killers convicted, sentenced after 3½-year trial"] by Igor Jovanovic, ''Southeast European Times'', 24 May 2007, accessed 21 January 2011</ref>

Ulemek was born on 15 March 19651968 in [[Belgrade]]. His father Milan was a [[sub-Officerofficer]] in the [[Yugoslav People's Army]], while his mother Natalija was a housewife. Ulemek grew up in [[New Belgrade]], near the [[Hotel Jugoslavija]].<ref name=BLIC1>{{cite web|url=http://www.blic.rs/stara_arhiva/tema/62658/Legija-Od-najtrazenijeg-begunca-do-najcuvanijeg |title=Legija: Od najtraženijeg begunca do najčuvanijeg |website=Blic.rs |date=2015-12-19 |access-date=2016-02-22}}</ref>

He joined the [[Serb Volunteer Guard]] in 1992 under the control of Serbian warlord [[Arkan]].<ref name="BI" /> Ulemek became one of Arkan's closest friends and a commander of the unit. He commanded the "Super Tigrovi" (Super Tigers) special unit that operated in eastern [[Slavonia]]. The unit was disbanded in April 1996, and all of its members were ordered to join the [[Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro|Yugoslav Army]].<ref>{{citationCite news |last=Stojanovic |first=Milica needed|date=January23 March 2023 |title=Serbia Urged to Prosecute Arkan's Paramilitaries for War Crimes |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2023/03/23/serbia-urged-to-prosecute-arkans-paramilitaries-for-war-crimes/ |work=[[Balkan 2016Insight]]}}</ref>

===Red BeretsSpecial Operations Unit ===

In 1996, following the dissolution of the Serb Volunteer Guard, on the request by head of the [[State Security ServiceDirectorate (Serbia)|State Security ServiceDirectorate]] [[Jovica Stanišić]], Ulemek joined the re-structured [[Special Operations Unit (Serbia)|JSOSpecial Operations Unit]].<ref name=BLIC1/> The unit was famously known as the "Red Berets" for their apparel. In 1999, Ulemek became the leader of the "Red Berets",<ref name="EWG">Encyclopedia{{Cite ofbook war|last1=Horvitz crimes|first1=Leslie andAlan genocide, [|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AHpFp2nsGyUC&pg=PA470 page|title=Encyclopedia 470]:of MiloradWar UlemekCrimes and Genocide |last2=Catherwood |first2=Christopher |date=2014-05-14 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-1-4381-1029-5 |language=en}}</ref> and became the official commander of "JSO SDB Serbia" in April 2001.

The Red Berets were used during [[Slobodan Milošević|Milošević]]'s rule for special operations in [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Kosovo]], as well as for the elimination of Milošević's political opponents.<ref name="setimes 24.5.2007"/> In April 2001, he resigned after pressure from the political leadership. On 12 March 2003, right after the [[Assassination of Zoran Đinđić|assassination of Serbian Prime Minister]] [[Zoran Đinđić]], a country-wide manhunt, named [[Operation Sabre (Serbia)|Operation Sabre]], was initiated. Twelve days later on 25 March, the unit was disbanded along with 11,000+ people being detained.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-03-12 |title=11 years since assassination of Zoran Đinđić |url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2014&mm=03&dd=12&nav_id=89600 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807203211/http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2014&mm=03&dd=12&nav_id=89600 |archive-date=2016-08-07 |access-date=2016-07-25 |website=B92}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=AKCIJA 'SABLJA' |url=https://www.arhiva.srbija.gov.rs/vesti/2003-04/29/335683.html |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=www.arhiva.srbija.gov.rs}}</ref>

On 12 March 2003, some members of JSO who were connected to the notorious [[Zemun Clan]], organized the [[assassination of Zoran Đinđić]], with Ulemek being named the main organizer. Following the assassination, Ulemek was named the prime suspect and after 14 months of hiding, he surrendered in May 2004. Ulemek claimed that he had been hiding in his house the entire time, which made lot of controversy in public.<ref name="setimes 24.5.2007"/> The Đinđić murder trial was the first organised crime trial in Serbia.

The trial saw widespread threats to the trial chamber, as well as witness intimidation and the murder of a witness. The first trial chamber president, Marko Kljajević, left the proceedings in August 2005. In verdict by Special Court for Organized Crime in Belgrade Presiding Judge Nata Mesarović, Đinđić's assassination was described as "a political murder, a criminal act aimed against the state", in which police officers and the mafia had joined hands to kill Đinđić and gain political power. Ulemek's deputy in the "Red Berets", [[Zvezdan Jovanović]], was convicted of shooting Đinđić.<ref name="setimes 24.5.2007" /> Ulemek was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the organization of Đinđić assassination. After several trials, Ulemek was sentenced to total of 137 years in prison for his crimes.<ref>{{cite news|title=INTERVJU, MILORAD ULEMEK LEGIJA: Niko u državi nema muda da obnovi suđenje|url=https://www.ekspres.net/drustvo/hronika/intervju-milorad-ulemek-legija-niko-u-drzavi-nema-muda-da-obnovi-sudenje|access-date=9 December 2016|work=ekspres.net|publisher=EKSPRES|date=1 June 2016|language=sr|archive-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017184807/http://www.ekspres.net/drustvo/hronika/intervju-milorad-ulemek-legija-niko-u-drzavi-nema-muda-da-obnovi-sudenje|url-status=dead}}</ref>