Franko Simatović

Franko Simatović
Nickname Frenki
Born 1 February 1950 (1950-02-01) (age 62)
Belgrade, Republic of Serbia
Allegiance State Security
 Serbia
Years of service 1978–2001
Unit Special Operations Unit

Franko "Frenki" Simatović (Serbian Cyrillic: Франко "Френки" Симатовић, born 1 April 1950) was the head of the Serbian secret police of Slobodan Milošević, the Special Forces of State Security of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was the founder of the "Special Operations Unit".

Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Simatović is an ethnic Croat.[1][2] He was born to the family of Pero Simatović and Neda Winter and was named after his grandfather Franko Winter, founder of Winter law office in Bjelovar and a Josip Broz associate in 1941. Lt. Col. Pero Simatović was high ranking officer in the Yugoslav People's Army, who graduated in British naval school after the Second World War. He was the Chief Personnel UNEF Hq. Gaza to the peacekeeping mission in Sinai during 1959.[3]

He is accused of committing various atrocities against non-Serbs during the Yugoslav wars including persecution and murder.[4] As part of Milan Martić's trial at the ICTY, he was found to be part of a "joint criminal enterprise which aimed to create a Greater Serbia including parts of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina."[5]

References

  1. ^ Franko Simatovic Frenki: The Croat who heads Milosevic's secret police
  2. ^ The Hague: Ex-Paramilitary Leader Pleads Not Guilty
  3. ^ Pero Simatovic in Gaza, 21 December 1959, Photo # 147106, United Nations
  4. ^ "Case Information Sheet Stanišić & Simatović" (PDF). IT-03-69 The Prosecutor v. Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović. http://www.icty.org/x/cases/stanisic_simatovic/cis/en/cis_stanisic_simatovic_en.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-18. 
  5. ^ "Summary of Judgement for Milan Martić" (PDF). International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 2007-06-12. http://www.icty.org/x/cases/martic/tjug/en/070612_summary_en.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-18.