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The State Security Directorate (Serbian: Ресор државне безбедности, romanized: Resor državne bezbednosti; abbr. РДБ / RDB), or simply State Security (Serbian: Државна безбедност, romanized: Državna bezbednost; abbr. ДБ / DB), was a security agency within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia tasked with protecting the country from internal threats. Formed in 1991, it was dissolved in 2002 and replaced by the Security Intelligence Agency (BIA).
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The State Security Directorate was formed in March 1991 after the dissolution of State Security Service (SDB).[citation needed]
According to the indictment in the series of trials before the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Serbian Special Forces, also known as Serbian Paramilitaries, were secretly established by or with the assistance of the State Security Directorate.[1] Among those were Serb Volunteer Guard (Arkan's Tigers), Special Operations Unit (Red Berets) and Scorpions.[1]
Officially, the Special Operations Unit was incorporated into the State Security Directorate at least since 1996.
On 3 October 1999, a vehicle column of Serbian Renewal Movement, one of largest opposition parties at the time, was attacked while moving down Ibar Highway. Four party officials were killed in the staged accident and party president Vuk Drašković was injured. In a 2007 ruling by the Belgrade District Court former State Security officer and unit's commander Milorad Ulemek, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, former Head of the State Security Directorate Radomir Marković received eight years while other moembers of the unit were sentenced to 14 years in prison.[2]
On 25 August 2000, former president of Serbia and once a rival of Slobodan Milošević, Ivan Stambolić, was detained by the police.[3] Soon after, he was gone missing during his every-day jogging routine. His remains were uncovered in 2003, in Fruška Gora.[4] After a yearlong trial in special court in Belgrade, a judge found Radomir Marković and Milorad Ulemek, guilty of planning and carrying out the assassination of Ivan Stambolić.[5]
The RDB was dissolved and replaced with Security Intelligence Agency on 1 August 2002.
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| Name | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Jovica Stanišić | 1991–1998 |
| Radomir Marković | 1998–2001[a] |
| Goran Petrović | 2001[b] |
| Andreja Savić | 2001–2002 |
- Resigned in the aftermath of the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević.
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