"Wanted: Dead or Alive" - Montgomery on the posters against Veran Matic from the 2000s.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Serbia William Montgomery, in an interview with Nedeljnik, reflected on the events of the 2000s, the advisor to then-Prime Minister Vladimir "Beba" Popović, and the threats received by Veran Matić, who was then the director of B92.
According to him, Vladimir Beba Popović acted like a "media czar."
"When he worked with Zoran, he would constantly call editors and journalists and yell at them if they dared to criticize Đinđić. They would come to us to complain that he was threatening them while they were trying to be independent. Posters appeared in New Belgrade featuring the image of Veran Matić, the owner of B92, with the words: ‘Wanted. Dead or alive.’ It was clear that this was the work of Beba Popović. He did this because B92 was often very critical of Zoran Đinđić. Popović hated that. I requested to meet with Zoran and told him: ‘Look at these posters, this doesn't look good for you or your government.’ He replied: ‘Yes, I know. I had a fight with Beba about this. He left angry a few days ago and hasn't returned.’
Up until the moment Đinđić was killed, Beba did not show up for work. When Zoran was killed, he immediately returned as one of the leading figures in the new government and, along with Čeda Jovanović, played a significant role in Operation "Sablja." The new government declared a state of emergency. Initially, this was necessary, but the state of emergency was extended even though the arrest operations had concluded and the suspects were in prison. The reason was the new administration's desire to find a connection between Koštunica and the assassination at all costs. And they did not succeed in that. Complaints started coming in again that Popović was pressuring the media. He was furious and threatened the media over any article that was critical of the state of emergency," Montgomery explained.
For more details, visit the Nedeljnik website.
