Period: Yugoslav Wars

Region: Sumadia

The NATO crime in Aberdareva street in Belgrade -Serbia 1999

The crime in Aberdareva street was committed by NATO pilots on April 22th, 1999 in their aggression against Serbia and Montenegro when they launched deadly rockets on building of RTS (Radio Television of Serbia) in Aberdareva street, Tašmajdan, Belgrade.

As a result, 16 employees of RTS were killed and 20 were wounded. For the first time in the history of war, a media house has been hit, previously marked as legitimate military target.

For this crime nobody was persecuted, not even for command responsibility.

What’s more, Serbian authorities make steps towards establishment of diplomatic relationship with the North Atlantic Alliance despite open discontent of the nation.

BACKGROUND

On On 15 January 1999, in the Kosovo village of Račak, Serbian police clashed with Albanian terrorists. The Western Media falsely reported that Serbian policemen killed Albanian civilians. They were instructed by William Walker, the head of the Kosovo Verification Mission.

Holbrooke in Belgrade with false offer

This case served as justification for the aggression and bombing of Serbia and Montenegro in 1999, which the Government of Serbia attempted to avoid in negotiations with Kosovo Albanians in Rambouillet. As this attempt failed, American general Wesley Clark ordered the bombing, which turned into genocidal action known as “Merciful Angel.”

THE CRIME

On March 24, 1999 at 20:45 NATO aircrafts launched bombs on the territory of SR Yugoslavia, initiating aggression of the North Atlantic Alliance against this European country.

Cities that they attacked were: Belgrade, Priština, Lučani, Đakovica, etc. As the aggression continued, almost every city and town was bombarded, civilians were being killed, including children, and property, cultural and historical monuments, plants, bridges, churches were being destroyed.

There were indications that leading members of the Armed Forces Command of SRJ held information about possibility of NATO’s attack on RTS, but that they chose to conceal it because destruction of building and killing of employees should have served in propaganda war. It should be noted that the Army held many foreign reporters in its headquarters who were reporting on bombing of SRJ for their countries.

They held accurate information about the day of bombing of RTS building. Moreover, from the beginning of  April, Colonel Tim Marshal gave statements that RTS was possible military target. He shared the information with managers of RTS Dragoljub Milanović and Miodrag Komrakov, who angrily replied to mind his own business.

On April 23, 1999 at 2:05am NATO aircrafts launched bombs on building of RTS in Aberdareva street, Tašmajdan, Belgrade. It caused huge material damage and day later bodies of 16 employees were taken out of ruins and 20 people were heavily wounded.

The reason for bombing of RTS was later formulated as this:
- “RTS had significant role in spreading of moral and optimism among the people of SRJ”.

LIST OF VICTIMS

1.         Jelica Munitlak (28), makeup artist
2.         Ksenija Banković (28), vision mixer
3.         Darko Stiomenovski (26), transmission technician
4.         Nebojša Stojanović (27), master technician
5.         Dragorad Dragojević (27), security guard
6.         Dragan Tasić (31), electrician
7.         Aleksandar Deletić (31), camera operator
8.         Slaviša Stevanović (32), technician  
9.         Siniša Medić (32), program designer
10.         Ivan Stukalo (34), technician
11.         Dejan Marković (39), security guard
12.         Milan Joksimović (47), security guard
13.         Branislav Jovanović (50), master technician
14.         Milan Janković (59), precision mechanic
15.         Tomislav Mitrović (61), program director
16.         Slobodan Jontić (64), video editor

YEARS LATER

In Tašmajdan, the monument was erected in memory of 16 employees of RTS with their names carved in and inscription “WHY?”.

Every year on April 23 the family and friends of innocent employees gather at the monument in Tašmajdan for religious memorial service, lightening candles and saying prayers in homage to their memory.

Images of victims

After overturn of the Regime on October 5, 2000,  the indictment was raised against Dragoljub Milanović who performed duty of general manager of RTS in the period of 1995-2000, by the family members of RTS employees who died that fatal night on April 22/23, 1999.

The indictment alleged that he hadn’t followed the regulation of Federal Government, failing to displace people and technique out of the range of bombs. District court in Belgrade found Milanović guilty in June 2002 and sentenced him to 10 years of prison, yet allowed him to wait for final decision at freedom.

He immediately escaped and hid in Montenegro where he was arrested during the police action “Sword” in 2003. At first, he had nice treatment in prison but after protests of the families of victims his privileges have been cancelled. Yet, it must be noted that Dragoljub Marjanović is the only person tried for this case.

Monument for civilian victims, employees of RTS

The families of victims submitted remonstrance in 2006 and 2009 to the Special War Crimes and Criminal Court in connection with involvement of then State and Military Leadership of SRJ, but they have never got response.

They still search for the truth. In memory of Siniša Medić, one of the victims who lived in Kaluđerica, his neighbours decided in 2010 to dedicate him the street in which he lived.