Belgrade, april 02, 2001.

MILOSEVIC ARREST: CHRONOLOGY

Deconstruction of a tyranny

In the night between March 31st and April 1st 2001, former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic was arrested and taken to the Central Prison in Belgrade. Milosevic was detained on the basis of a reasonable doubt that he committed a criminal offence against the article 26 of the Yugoslav criminal code. The official police statement records that no resistance was put up during arrest.

Milosevic departed just like he ruled - from stubborn dismissal to obliging surrender. Fortified in his mansion, surrounded by heavily armed guards, he defied the imminent fate from his final bastion. He crudely rebuffed all kinds of international diplomats who came to him, only to promptly hand over even more than he was asked for, with clear conscience, knowingly sacrificing his own state and its people, so that now, in the last moments of his imaginary greatness, he tried to once again drag all of Serbia into a dangerous adventure with unpredictable consequences. Let us hope that this dramatic weekend was the last time that the fate of this people was in the hands of Slobodan Milosevic.

Friday, March 30.

• 5:00 P.M. SPS parliamentary leader Branislav Ivkovic proclaims before the Serbian Parliament that "6 vehicles carrying armed men, and one ambulance van" have been seen in the vicinity of Milosevic's villa in Uzicka Street. Together with other SPS representatives, he leaves the parliament for the wealthy Belgrade suburb of Dedinje, the home of the former president of FRY.

• 8:00 P.M. Gathered in front of both gates of the compound in 11 Uzicka Street are hundreds of noticeably nervous supporters of Slobodan Milosevic, members of the so-called "people's guard." Police presence in the immediate vicinity of the house is minor, but few meters ahead armored jeeps are parked, carrying masked and armed men, as well as several police vehicles.

• 11:00 P.M. Media receive information that Slobodan Milosevic has been arrested and that he is held inside the Palace of Justice. In front of the building are ten police vehicles and about 20 policemen. Journalists are not allowed onto the plato in front of the building. After a while, four armored black jeeps appear and enter into the underground parking of the court. In a few minutes the jeeps leave in the direction of Dedinje.

Saturday, March 31.

• 00:00 A.M. In front of the compound, senior SPS officials Branislav Ivkovic and Ivica Dacic categorically deny that Slobodan Milosevic has been arrested. "That is made up by the so-called independent media, in order to prevent the people from coming to Uzicka Street to defend the president," said Ivkovic. Meanwhile, Milosevic's supporters grow more nervous.

• 00:00 A.M. Serbian P.M. Zoran Djindjic says that he is not familiar with the events surrounding Milosevic's arrest, and that he is just watching Gladiator with his son Luka.

• 00:15 A.M. Milosevic appears briefly at the upper gate of the compound in 11 Uzicka Street, setting off a wave of mass jubilation among the "guards" crowd. Branislav Ivkovic announces that Milosevic is to appear at the lower gate as well.

• 01:20 A.M. Milosevic gives a telephone statement to Belgrade Radio B92, where he denies that he was arrested. "At the moment I am drinking coffee with my friends here and I am very well. I am viewing all this just like all citizens of Serbia," said Milosevic. "In front of the house are numerous citizens, not just supporters of SPS, but many who have at heart our people and our national dignity. We are, I can say, all proud when we see such mood. I expect this story to have a just resolution, that is to say, to benefit the people," said Milosevic before hanging up.

• 01:45 A.M. Heavy police forces, equipped with bulletproof vests, helmets and shields approach the lower entrance. In a rapid intervention, they push the gathered supporters away from the compound gates. "People's guard" reacts intensely, but the police carries out its intervention without resorting to force. Members of the intervention brigade form a cordon, blocking the gate entrance.

• 03:00 A.M. A white van and two jeeps carrying special police units approach the entrance to the compound in Konavljanska Street. About ten armed policemen rush out of the van, in black jackets, with black hats and masked faces. Special policemen throw shock bombs at the gate, met with firearm shots from inside the villa. The policemen break the windows on the guard's building, where they take a position they will hold until the morning. Soon, the shots calm down, and policemen push the gathered citizens and journalists farther away from the residence into the nearby woods. In this action two policemen were injured and FreeSerbia photo editor Andrija Ilic, whose hand was hit by ricochets.

• 03:30 A.M. Armed and masked special policemen are in front of the residence with their guns ready to fire. Inside the house, everything is quiet, and only the first floor light is on. An armored police vehicle arrives at the gate. Soon two BMWs park in front of the villa. It is not known who was inside the cars, but the gathered crowd assumes they are negotiators. They leave soon only to return again.

• 06:00 A.M. Police receives an order to push the gathered journalists and citizens to nearby square Topciderska zvezda, and they block all entrances to the compound.

• 07:00 A.M. A jeep arrives to Topciderska Zvezda, dropping off several members of the special police units, and senior SPS official Branislav Ivkovic. Ivkovic enters a parked "audi", which takes him about a hundred meters further. It is not known who was inside this car. After a few minutes of perhaps successful negotiations, the "audi" drives in the direction of the residence, followed by a jeep.

• 09:00 A.M. "Certain political figures are currently negotiating with Slobodan Milosevic about his peaceful surrender to the judicial authorities. Our goal is to avoid armed clashes with the Milosevic's drunken bodyguards led by Sinisa Vucinic. Nevertheless, we will bring Milosevic to justice, by force if needed", said Serbian minister of police Dusan Mihajlovic at a press conference, adding that Milosevic told the police officers "he will not let himself be taken to prison alive."

• 12:00 P.M. All streets leading towards the villa are now completely blocked by the police.

• 13:30 P.M. After a special meeting, Serbian cabinet calls on all armed civilians surrounding the former Yugoslav president to immediately surrender their arms to the members of the state security, in order to avoid victims in the process of apprehending Milosevic. Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said that talks were underway with Milosevic's bodyguards about the terms of surrender, but he did not specify who was taking part in those talks. Djindjic said that the Serbian government expressed its disappointment with the conduct of certain individuals from the Chief Command of the Yugoslav Army and the Guard unit who "systematically obstructed republican agents in performing their duty" and "openly supported armed civilians from Milosevic's personal security".

• 16:00 P.M. There are two different kinds of "people's guards" at Topciderska Zvezda: Milosevic supporters and young people self-described as "people's guard for preventing Milosevic's escape." The two crowds continuously provoke each other verbally, although every once in a while, a physical brawl break out. Policemen who are separating the two crowds intervene only in cases of major incidents.

• 19:00 P.M. "No-one, not even Slobodan Milosevic, is worth a civil war and bloodbath," said Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica, after meeting with senior state officials in the Palace of Federation. He underlined that if the state is to survive, no-one can be untouchable, and it is not acceptable that an individual imperils state interests. Kostunica read from a statement adopted at the meeting, stressing that "whoever shoots at police must be brought to justice, whoever obstructs the law must bear the consequences."

• 22:00 P.M. All approaches to Dedinje are blocked, and there is a visible presence of special police units positioned in the forest near the villa in which the ex-president is confined with his personal security.

Sunday, April 1.

• 00:45 A.M. Traffic police began to clear the parking in front of the "May 25" museum. In words of the "Anlave" hospital staff who are allowed to enter the closed off area in Uzicka Street, all is still calm there. "Besides us and the masked special policemen, no-one is there," said manager of the "Anlave" hospital Slobodan Ivanovic.

• 04:40 A.M. In front of the museum parking, there is a police cordon, and two jeeps with members of the special police units are parked nearby, with their engines running. Several shots are heard coming from the villa. Instantly a jeep drives from the direction of the residence, followed by four armed limousines. The procession leaves in the direction of the sports stadium Partizan.

• 05:00 A.M. Slobodan Milosevic is arrested and taken to the Central Prison, police sources officially affirm. The arrest took place around 4:35 A.M. The statement says that Slobodan Milosevic was arrested on the basis of a reasonable doubt that he committed a criminal offence of abuse of power.

On Monday, April 2, another charge is brought against Milosevic, for obstructing official agents in performing their duty. Assistant Minister of the Police and head of public security, general vice-lieutenant Sreten Lukic said that criminal charges have also been brought against three members of Milosevic's personal security - Sinisa Vucinic, Bogoljub Bjelica and Radovan Matesic, for whom was determined that they shot during the course of the police action. Together with them was Ratko Zecevic, who was not arrested, because he has immunity as a parliament representative. Police established that Marija Milosevic, daughter of the ex-president, also fired shots in the villa, so that charges will be brought against her. General Lukic confirmed that Milosevic owned a gun with 25 bullets and that he threatened he would never surrender alive. So far, the cache of arms found in 11 Uzicka Street includes two armored personnel carriers, about thirty automatic guns, three submachine guns and one rocket-propelled grenade launcher, 30 rifle grenades, two boxes of machine gun rounds, 10 boxes of 7.62 mm ammunition, and more than 23 pistols. Three guns were found in the possession of Marija Milosevic: "beretta" 9 mm, "walter" 9 mm and a lady's handgun. A special curiosity among these finds is a CZ 99 pistol of unclear ownership, engraved with picture and signature of general Nebojsa Pavkovic, who is still the head of the Chief Command of the Yugoslav Army.

In the course of these dramatic events, chief negotiators with Slobodan Milosevic were Tahir Hasanovic, for police minister Dusan Mihajlovic, and Cedomir Jovanovic, for Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic. Several DOS officials, including members of the cabinet, spoke with SPS officials in Milosevic's villa. When Cedomir Jovanovic came to speak with him, asking if he was coming as a representative of the Serbian Parliament. After that, Milosevic left and soon returned with written authorization of prime minister Djindjic that he was negotiating in his name. Jovanovic brought with him Tahir Hasanovic, senior official of the New Democracy, as a representative of Dusan Mihajlovic.

President of the District court in Belgrade Vida Petrovic-Skero announced that a hearing will be held soon for the former manager of Federal customs agency Mihalj Kertes, and former vice-presidents of the federal cabinet Nikola Sainovic and Jovan Zebic. Hearings are based on the request for investigation against Slobodan Milosevic.

Former Yugoslav president has been accorded imprisonment for 30 days. His defence lawyer Toma Fila said on Monday that Milosevic stated on his first hearing on Monday, he was not guilty on any of the offences he is charged with. Fila also said that a doctor has examined Slobodan Milosevic, and that his medical condition is "good," although he was sedated and has "slightly high blood pressure level."

For criminal charges brought against Milosevic, the law provides sentences ranging from 3 to 15 years of imprisonment.