Ivan Konatar, chief prosecutor of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Smederevo, who led the investigation of the massacre in Dubona and Malo Orašje on behalf of the public, as well as the families of eight young men and one girl who were killed on May 4, 2023, in the bloodshed caused by Uroš Blažić, has vigorously represented the indictment from the beginning to the end of the proceedings. This is according to the victims, along with the parents of the deceased and the 12 wounded, mostly young people. In an interview with Srpski telegraf and Republika, Prosecutor Konatar expressed satisfaction that the first-instance verdict of the Higher Court in Smederevo was delivered less than five months after the start of the trial, as well as because the sentences given to the mass murderer and his father Radiša Blažić were determined as he had requested in his closing argument. Both were sentenced to 20 years each – Uroš for the murder of nine children, and his father Radiša for the arsenal of weapons he held in his possession.
– Both defendants were sentenced by the first-instance verdict for all criminal offenses charged in the indictment of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Smederevo, and to the maximum prison sentences that could be imposed on them by law. Throughout the process, I insisted on the strictest punishment, especially for the second defendant, Radiša Blažić, because I believe that such a punishment is absolutely necessary and proportionate to his role in this indescribable tragedy. The position of the prosecution is clear and justified – said the prosecutor.
The mass murderer and his father persistently denied their guilt throughout the proceedings.
– The defense presented by the accused Uroš Blažić during the trial amounts to a formal acknowledgment of what he did, without providing a reasonable explanation for why he did it. On the other hand, his father completely denied the allegations of the indictment. I do not believe that in any way the accused Uroš Blažić changed his way of thinking and behavior in the closing argument. His closing argument is actually the best representation of everything he showed during the process – a lack of empathy and any real remorse.
When someone sincerely repents and regrets what they have done, it is felt and seen. In the case of the accused Uroš Blažić, this could not be seen, neither from his defense nor his behavior during the trial. Selective defense about certain facts, whose only goal is to absolve the father of responsibility, refusal to answer the prosecutor’s and attorney’s questions, along with inappropriate gestures towards the families of the victims, clearly indicate that there is no genuine sympathy and remorse.
The families of the victims, as well as the wounded, intend to file lawsuits for non-material damages against the family of the perpetrator, so far, has a restriction on disposing of property been imposed on the Blažićs?
– The families of the deceased and other affected parties, as well as their legal representatives, emphasized during the trial a property legal claim, which entails, among other things, compensation for material and non-material damage. During this process, the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Smederevo provided maximum logistical support to the victims by collecting and providing information and documentation on the assets of the accused to their legal representatives. Based on this, at the request of the legal representatives, the court issued temporary measures prohibiting the burdening and disposal of the property for which there was evidence that it was in the personal ownership of the accused. In any case, the issue of compensation will be discussed in the upcoming civil proceedings, to which the affected parties have been referred by the court’s decision.
Will you support the initiative to change the law, specifically to raise the age limit from 21 to 18 for the punishment of younger adults because the only reasonable punishment for Uroš Blažić would be life imprisonment?
– Although our criminal legislation belongs to the group of modern European legislation, it is clear that after such a tragedy, certain legal amendments are necessary. So far, we have not had crimes of this magnitude committed by younger adults, so such questions have not been raised. After the first-instance proceedings and all the facts established, the level of consciousness displayed by the accused Uroš Blažić and the level of his criminal intent, I emphasize that my personal and professional stance is based on the necessity of a legislative reform that would seriously consider the issue of the age limit for the possibility of imposing a life sentence in situations where the perpetrator is aware of all his actions and their consequences, and capable of making willing decisions.
After numerous undisputed evidence presented in this case, tell us if there is a connection between the crimes in „Ribnikar“ and in the villages near Mladenovac and Smederevo?
– The mass murders at the school in Belgrade and in the villages of Malo Orašje and Dubona represent atrocities unprecedented in this region, happening almost one after the other, in two days. The public has repeatedly brought up the theory of a possible connection between these monstrous events. I do not know the facts from the indictment represented by the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade and cannot comment on it. Based on what was established in the case of the Blažićs, there is no connection between these murders. The accused Uroš Blažić denied being inspired by the crime in „Ribnikar“ in his defense. The similarity between these tragedies, if it can be called a connection, is that both acts were senseless with the most horrific and severe consequences.
