We can’t live without our traitors

The regime has attacked the media and freedom of speech, but also independent institutions, like Ombudsman; it has also attacked the Humanitarian Law Center, our most respected non-government organization investigating the war crimes in former Yugoslavia. The famous “institutions of the system” – such the president of the state, the prosecutor’s office, the court, the ministries of police and war, individual ministers, secrets services (civic and military), police, even the Security Committee of the Serbian Parliament – are blatantly used in organizing the repression prepared and supported by Aleksandar Vucic. All “institutions of the system” are literally lined up in the defense of repression, and none of them uttered a word or tried to say: wait, hold on, that’s not right. A couple of years ago, the HLC published documented doubts that Ljubisa Dikovic was involved in the war crimes in Rudnica. This was during the government of Boris Tadic, who appointed Dikovic as chief commander of the army. Today, when all the documents have been completed and made available to citizens and prosecution authorities alike, the president of the state calls Ljubisa Dikovic “an honorable officer”, while the HLC is marked as a traitorous organization, maliciously attacking the army and undermining the state’s interests. Ljubisa Dikovic is allowed to publicly lie into the cameras of various TV shows (see the last HLC report on his appearance in the TV show “Hard word”).

Perhaps the government wouldn’t defend and glorify general Dikovic so much, if the HLC’s documentation on the general hadn’t coincided with Ombudsman Jankovic’s investigation about the events during the Pride Parade. I am talking about the beating of Andrej Vucic, who, together with his military body guards, provoked and attacked the gendarmes who were protecting the parade. Ombudsman Jankovic filed criminal charges against the two members of the Serbian army for illegal conduct and asked the MSA (Military Security Agency) for documentation in order to exercise control over that agency. The army refused to provide the documents. The media and the “famous institutions of the system” started attacking the Ombudsman and accused him of being a traitor to his homeland. Zealous SNS MPs jumped to file a motion for his dismissal (which they later withdrew due to public pressure).

So, it turned out that the regime is vehemently defending Dikovic, while simultaneously attacking the Ombudsman for asking for the documents about Andrej Vucic, and the HLC which was only doing its job (investigating and informing the public about Dikovic’s involvement in the crimes in Kosovo). It appears that there is a connection between Dikovic and the Ombudsman, and that the secret connection is brother Andrej. Saving Dikovic is becoming another mask for covering up what were brother Andrej and Cobras doing, before the gendarmes beat up Vucic’s brother. They want it to appear that the military and the state are attacked from all over, from Ombudsman Jankovic (who turned out to be a traitor) and Natasa Kandic, a well-known traitor. So, the sudden promotion of Jankovic into the state enemy was proven by connecting him with Natasa Kandic and the documents on Dikovic. And all that was done because Aleksandar Vucic loves his brother Andrej more than anything in the world. He thought that all the traitorous pieces had come together nicely for his brother, in order to finally undo the real events at the Pride Parade (where, by the way, there were no incidents, except for the one caused by his brother).

And, what’s best of all, the entire event with the brothers was disclosed and published on the very same day. The haggard gendarmes, when they realized the conundrum they were in, went to the government and talked to Vucic; at first, he shouted at the top of his voice, and when the gendarmes told him what had happened, he offered them coffee. He publicly said that there would be no criminal charges against the gendarmes: they were nervous because of the hard and unpleasant task they had to perform that day. The next day, he reversed the facts: the gendarmes intentionally beat up his brother simply because he is his brother. And then he added to the fire by saying that the gendarmes had metaphorically beaten him, while the cursed others enjoyed it. The facts must be destroyed at all costs, because the reality of Serbia must agree to his will.

At the end of this destructive game, looms a happy end. It turned out that there can be no civilized life in Serbia without traitors. Fortunately, not all is destroyed, because there are still individuals who are not afraid to denounce the repressive government. Rippers of repression are rechristened into traitors of the state and national interests. And the interests, as we have seen, are the brother and the family, as the basic cell of society. We have reached the point of having a family prime minister, just like the former president of YUL (Milosevic’s wife Mira Markovic) was the defender of family services and tasks. And then, the traitors of repression are in the gravest danger. It is especially so when the activity of the family rule coincides with the closing of doors from the outside. Then we are in a cage. This is what happens when the outside world praises the government of thieves, while the internal resistance is dying. But my impression is that the cage doors are cracked open.

First, the EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic quietly warned Vucic about the persecution of BIRN journalists and the Ombudsman Jankovic. The regime sharply spoke back to her that this remark is far out of her league and that they won’t talk to her about anything, but tell everything directly to those above her. They won’t explain the lies and intrigues of the enemies against the state, or them personally, to her. Okay, not to her, but they’ll have to explain it to someone. It is a blessing in disguise that the “patriots” are proverbially stupid, as was proven many times in the past. The first voice, the one that does not shout, but is concerned, isn’t heard by the “patriots”. It is a small thing, someone’s concern, so you can easily pretend to be deaf and mind your own family business.

Since they don’t hear the voices of Europe, although the EU is supposedly a priority, there is one voice they can’t avoid hearing. Thomas Melia, Deputy Assistant to the United States Secretary of State, has stepped up in defense of the HLC, BIRN and the Ombudsman, and said that it is important for any government to listen to those organizations that publish important information and that the government should take actions based on this information. My traitorous habit tells me that the regime will continue to act on its own in the future, because they can’t and won’t do otherwise. They will wait for a new opportunity, but will lay low a bit. The important aspect of this story is that the drowning man was heard. The benefit of it will depend on us, on how much we’re willing to principally, boldly and without giving up defend the institutions and the freedom of expression, and not allow those responsible for crimes to go unpunished.

Translated by Marijana Simic

Peščanik.net, 11.02.2015.