Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Lawyer who defended Serbian warlord Slobodan Milosevic murdered outside his Belgrade home

Dragoslav Ognjanovic was killed late Saturday outside his home in Belgrade

Thursday 09 August 2018 12:14 EDT
Comments
In this file photo taken on March 17, 2006 Dragoslav Ognjanovic, lawyer of late Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, gives a press conference in Belgrade.
In this file photo taken on March 17, 2006 Dragoslav Ognjanovic, lawyer of late Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, gives a press conference in Belgrade. (AFP/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A prominent lawyer who was on the defence team of former strongman Slobodan Milosevic at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal has been shot and killed.

A police statement says Dragoslav Ognjanovic was killed late Saturday outside his home in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

Mr Ognjanovic's 26-year-old son was wounded in his right arm, it added.

Mr Ognjanovic was part of the legal team that defended Milosevic at the UN tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, where he was tried for war crimes of the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Milosevic died of a heart attack in 2006 before his trial could be concluded.

Serbia To Salute Putin But Sees Future With Europe

Over the years, Mr Ognjanovic also defended some of Serbia’s leading underworld figures.

Several prominent members of Serbian and Montenegrin organised crime networks have been killed in Belgrade in the past two years in what police describe as a turf war over the illegal drugs market.

In a joint statement, the heads of the Bar Association of Serbia and the Bar Association of Belgrade said the shooting of Ognjanovic was "the latest in a series of numerous attacks on lawyers."

"[We will] exert maximum pressure on the competent state authorities in order to find the perpetrators of this crime in the shortest possible time," Viktor Gostiljac and Jugoslav Tintor said.

Serbian police say they are searching for the attacker.

Press Association

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in