Jovan "Jovica" Stanišić (; born 30 July 1950) is šića Serbian former intelligence officer who served as the head of the State Security Service (SDB) within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia from 1992 until 1998. He was removed from the position in October 1998, months after the outbreak of Kosovo War.
Although very little was known about him during the 1990s, he is widely seen as the "mastermind and conductor of controlled chaos" during the large part of Yugoslav Wars. Despite being the closest person to the President of Serbia Slobodan Milošević, with enormous impact on wartime events, he kept permanent contacts with all the factors involved in the conflict. Allegedly, he was removed in 1998 from the key intelligence position due to disagreements with Mirjana Marković and the Minister of Internal Affairs Vlajko Stojiljković, as he opposed the excessive use of force in Kosovo.
Stanišić was prosecuted for war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from 1991 to 1995, before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) together with Franko Simatović. He was initially acquitted on 30 May 2013 by the ICTY for his role in the wars but the verdict was later overturned on 15 December 2015 after successful appeal by the prosecutors (ICTY Appeals Chamber). The retrial before the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) has commenced on 13 June 2017. The base of Stanišić and Simatović's operations was revealed to be in western Bosnia, where they commanded regional forces. On 30 June 2021, he was found guilty under counts of murder, deportation, forcible transfer and persecution as crimes against humanity that occurred during the Bosanski Šamac ethnic cleansing, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. On appeal, his sentence was increased to 15 years in 2023.
Early years and education
Stanišić was born on 30 July 1950 in the village of Ratkovo, Odžaci, SR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia.
His parents were of Montenegrin descent, from Bjelopavlići. They have lived after the World War I in Kosovo, and migrated to Bačka where Stanišić was born following the World War II. He graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Political Sciences in 1974 and got employed in the State Security Administration (UDBA) in 1975.
Professional career
UDBA's agent (1975–1991) Since he got employed within the Yugoslav State Security Administration (SDB) in 1975, Stanišić rose quickly through the ranks of the agency. During the Cold War, Yugoslav UDBA had a reputation for ruthlessness similar to its Soviet KGB counterpart.
Between the mid-1960s and the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1990s, UDBA/SDB assassinated more than hundred Yugoslav political emigrants (i.e. Yugoslav dissidents) around the world, mostly in Western Europe and the United States. Many of these assassinations were performed by criminals who in exchange for leniency about other crimes, did the "dirty work" for the country.
Head of the SDB (1991–1998) With the breakup of Yugoslavia, a new agency State Security Service (Resor državne bezbednosti or RDB) was formed in March 1991. He served as the deputy of head Zoran Janaćković within the newly established State Security Service (RDB) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia throughout 1991. Despite being a deputy, he was widely seen as de facto head of the agency. On 1 January 1992, he was appointed as the Head of the agency while the Minister of Internal Affairs was Zoran Sokolović. He stayed on that position until 26 October 1998. During that time, he also served as Assistant Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia.
In the beginning of the Yugoslav Wars, State Security Service under Stanišić established linked paramilitary units, including the Serb Volunteer Guard (Arkan's Tigers), Special Operations Unit (Red Berets) and Scorpions. Allegedly, they were established for the purpose of undertaking special military actions in Croatia (Serb-controlled Republic of Serbian Krajina) and Bosnia and Herzegovina, intended to forcibly remove non-Serbs from those areas. It was later made public in 2018 that western Bosnia was in fact the main focus of Stanišić's military operations and that he and Franko Simatović commanded regional forces during the ‘Pauk’ (‘Spider’) operation in Cazinska Krajina, Bosnia between 1994 and 1995. A map showing 30 command posts which Stanišić had set up in western Bosnia had been secretly intercepted from his command office in the village of Magarcevacas, Croatia as well.