Serbian Army Chiefs 'Gave Hooligans Shooting Practice'

The Serbian Army Union, which announced on Monday that it has filed a criminal complaint against two high-ranking officers for allegedly allowing football fan group members to use the army's guns for firing practice, told BIRN that it was forced to react after military officials failed to respond to internal complaints.

"We have a moral and statutory obligation to react. Everyone should obey the law, and we took the legal path [to ensure that]," Novica Antic, the head of the Union, told BIRN.

"We received a complaint from the members of the unit in question. They have been addressing superiors within the army, but with no response," Antic added.

The complaint filed against a general and a lieutenant-colonel accuses them of alleged abuse of office for allowing several people, including three linked to football fan groups, to use an army shooting range, weapons and ammunition for target practice.

The union alleged that among the men allowed to use Serbian Army facilities between February and June 2016 were Aleksandar Stankovic, nicknamed 'Sale the Mute', the head of a Partizan Belgrade hooligan group, who was killed in October last year.

The death of Stankovic, who had been accused of smuggling and possessing drugs, sparked controversy in Serbia, as the management of Partizan issued an obituary, while at matches played following his death, both Partizan's football and basketball teams wore T-shirts with Stankovic's picture on them.

The Union also stated that the army allegedly allowed Veljko Belivuk, alias 'Velja the Trouble', to use its shooting range.

Belivuk, one of the members of the Partizan fan groups Janjicari, was arrested on February 3 on suspicion of involvement in a murder.

Belivuk also has a violent past,...