Hooligans, Drug Clans And The Serbian President

Black police automobiles with flashing lights rush by in entrance of the Organized Crime Courtroom in Belgrade. The accused are introduced into the constructing by way of the again entrance. There are 31 males accused, amongst different issues, of homicide, drug possession, kidnapping and arms trafficking.

Within the courtroom, they sit behind security glass, simply an arm’s size away from the guests: muscular builds with bull’s neck, bald heads, tattoos. The pinnacle of the gang is Veljko Belivuk, hooligan chief of Partizan Belgrade, a membership recognized for an aggressive fan base with deep ties to organized crime.

They’re stated to have dedicated the crimes they’re accused of for a drug clan with roots in Montenegro, which has been combating a bloody warfare with different clans for years – with quite a few murders not solely in Serbia however in a number of European nations.

Brutal Murders

The Partizan hooligans are among the many most brutal in Europe. The stadium serves as a drug hub and recruitment web site for brand spanking new gang members. Now they’re charged with a number of bestial murders.

When worldwide investigators decoded the encrypted information service Sky ECC in early 2021, they got here throughout grotesque pictures of mutilated corpses. The path results in a home in a village outdoors of Belgrade with a hidden room that may solely be reached by way of a gap within the wall. In it, amongst different issues, a meat grinder, by way of which the criminals turned the corpses with a purpose to get rid of them afterwards.

Work for the President

The trial in Belgrade is now bringing this group’s ties to politics to mild. Investigative journalist Stevan Dojcinovic has been following the trial in opposition to the clan for the reason that starting.

Through the trial, Belivu defined “that it was his position to help demonstrations for (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic and to disrupt opposition protests,” says Dojcinovic. “He listed political favors that Vucic requested him to do.”

Police officer as clan chief

The policeman Nenad Vuckovic, one other main consultant of the hooligans, in all probability additionally performed a number one position. He will be seen in a photograph with the suspected a number of assassin Belivuk. Nevertheless, the policeman didn’t management the group alone, the entire thing went a lot greater up, in response to Dojcinovic.

In a leaked communication between Belivuk and the police officer, which is on the market to ARD, Belivuk writes that he fears nobody and is prepared. The policeman then replies that he is aware of that, the “boss” is aware of it too, as does the “massive boss”.

For Dojcinovic it’s clear that “boss” means the previous inside minister and “massive boss” means President Vucic. ARD inquiries to the top of state went unanswered. He additionally didn’t wish to touch upon allegations in opposition to his son Danilo. In a single picture, Danilo Vucic poses in a decent embrace with a confidante of Belivuk, whom the police checklist as a member of the clan.

Gang members in opposition to protesters

The journalist Brankica Stankovic is aware of the scene nicely. Politicians make the most of the well-functioning hooligan scene, she says: “They’re organized and really able to any abuse. They flip into indignant hordes who submit to each name from the ability constructions, it doesn’t matter what is on the agenda. ”

For instance, at Vucic’s 2017 inauguration, protesters had been eliminated by violent safety personnel. One of many males has been recognized as a part of the Belivuk gang.

“Wants to speak about involvement with the state”

Stankovic has been researching the hooligan scene since 2009 and exhibits the connections to organized crime. Within the stadium, she then turns into a hate determine. At a Partizan sport in opposition to Shakhtar Donetsk, followers abused a Brankica doll, chanting referred to as her a whore and threatened her with loss of life. Since then she has lived beneath police safety.

That modified her life in an nearly unimaginable manner, says Brankica: “On a regular basis life is extremely sophisticated and cumbersome. I finished going out. For some time, 70 cops took care of my security. That was at a time when the police allegedly realized {that a} sniper rifle was bought within the scene to kill me.”

She thinks the massive courtroom case in opposition to Belivuk’s gang is vital. Nonetheless, Stankovic is satisfied that nothing will change in the event you don’t uncover the constructions behind it and at last discuss in regards to the entanglements with the state.

The bestial murders are actually being processed. The accused are hooligans, the bosses of the Serbian underworld. Politicians or cops haven’t but been delivered to justice.