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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Twelve guilty of Djindjic murder | Twelve guilty of Djindjic murder |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A Serbian court has found 12 men guilty of the 2003 assassination of the pro-Western Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in Belgrade. | A Serbian court has found 12 men guilty of the 2003 assassination of the pro-Western Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in Belgrade. |
| All the defendants, who include members of the secret police and alleged mafia kingpins, had denied the charges. | All the defendants, who include members of the secret police and alleged mafia kingpins, had denied the charges. |
| Two former policemen - Milorad "Legija" Ulemek, 39 and Zvezdan Jovanovic, 41 - received 40-year jail terms. | |
| The prosecution argued Djindjic was killed to block his reforms, including the extradition of war crimes suspects. | The prosecution argued Djindjic was killed to block his reforms, including the extradition of war crimes suspects. |
| The trial was the first at Belgrade's Special Court for Organised Crime. | The trial was the first at Belgrade's Special Court for Organised Crime. |
| The other 10 men received between eight and 35 years for their part in the assassination. | |
| Charges withdrawn | |
| Ulemek, an ex-French Foreign Legionnaire, and Jovanovic were said to be the ringleaders of the plot. They had been members of the Red Berets police unit. | Ulemek, an ex-French Foreign Legionnaire, and Jovanovic were said to be the ringleaders of the plot. They had been members of the Red Berets police unit. |
| Some of the other 10 found guilty had also served as paramilitaries in the Bosnian, Croatian and Kosovan conflicts. | Some of the other 10 found guilty had also served as paramilitaries in the Bosnian, Croatian and Kosovan conflicts. |
| "It was all prepared by Ulemek. Jovanovic fired the shots," Judge Nata Mesarevic was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters. | "It was all prepared by Ulemek. Jovanovic fired the shots," Judge Nata Mesarevic was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters. |
| Analysis: Marathon trial | Analysis: Marathon trial |
| According to the agency, Jovanovic wrote a statement saying: "I liquidated Zoran Djindjic personally. I was not interested in the money. I did it to prevent extradition of our people to The Hague." | |
| One gang member, Dejan "Bugsy" Milenkovic, who had been wanted for previous attempts on Mr Djindjic's life, was arrested by police in Greece in 2005. | |
| The charges against him were withdrawn under a plea bargain, reports said. | |
| National grief | |
| Dubbed Serbia's "Trial of the Century", the case was beset by problems. | |
| One protected witness and another eyewitness were murdered, while one judge resigned and another received death threats. | One protected witness and another eyewitness were murdered, while one judge resigned and another received death threats. |
| The former prime minister was getting out of his official car outside government buildings in Belgrade when he was fatally shot by the sniper on 12 March 2003. | |
| He had come to power following the toppling of Slobodan Milosevic's government in 2000 and his murder sent fresh shockwaves through the country. | |
| A state of emergency was declared and more than 10,000 people were arrested in a massive police operation. | |
| Half a million people attended Mr Djindjic's funeral in a huge outpouring of national grief. |