Amnesty International and Investigation of Torture Practices in Yugoslavia - 2003-09-04

Amnesty International, one of the well-known human rights organizations, has strongly urged Serbia and Montenegro to allow investigations into reports of torture of suspects by police in connection with the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. The report indicates that detainees suspected of involvement in the March assassination of reformist Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic have been tortured by the police. In its new report released on Thursday, September 3, Amnesty International states that it believes the police have widely used torture during the operation known as the 'Saber Operation.' The torture reports are related to a large-scale police attack aimed at dismantling 'mafia' or 'organized crime' structures that occurred after the March assassination. This report is based on information provided by the suspects and their lawyers. It states that beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, and suffocation of suspects by covering their heads and binding them with special tape are among the torture methods used. Amnesty International has taken these allegations seriously and has called on the Serbian government to allow independent human rights representatives to investigate the issue of torture. The Serbian government has not responded to Amnesty International's request but has dismissed similar allegations made by the organization as baseless. Reformist Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic was assassinated by a long-range bullet fired by an individual from Belgrade. Officials believe that individuals linked to the 'mafia organization,' hoping to replace the assassinated prime minister with one of the supporters of the ousted Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, are responsible for this assassination.