Djindjic murder trial in turmoil

Bullet-proof glass shields defendants

Chaos has descended on the trial of the suspected assassins of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.

Forty defence lawyers walked out of the Belgrade courtroom in protest at what they saw as bias among the judges.

Earlier, one of the 36 defendants, Zvezdan Jovanovic, a former police officer, refused to plead and accused the authorities of a witch hunt.

The trial is being seen as a major test of the Serbian judiciary's independence in the post-Milosevic era.

Sniper

Twenty-one people are in court and the others - including the alleged mastermind - are being tried in their absence.

Prosecutors claim the killing was carried out by Serbian nationalists opposed to Mr Djindjic's co-operation with the war crimes tribunal and his part in ousting former President Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.

I have been exposed to tremendous pressure by these authorities Zvezdan Jovanovic

Mr Djindjic was shot by a sniper as he got out of his car in Belgrade in March.

The lawyers who walked out on Wednesday claimed the three-judge panel was incapable of handling the case.

They acted when the presiding judge, Marko Kljajevic, said he would read a statement given by Mr Jovanovic to police, after the defendant said he would stay silent.

Mr Jovanovic's lawyer, Nenad Vukasovic, said the statement would have been a form of "marketing" by the authorities ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday.

If the lawyers do not return on Thursday, the court will have to name court-appointed lawyers for 36 defendants.

Such a move would leave the trial open to further suggestions of bias.

Djindjic's murder was blamed on Belgrade gangsters

The trial began three days ago in a specially reconstructed high-security courtroom.

Mr Jovanovic is charged with firing the fatal sniper shot that killed the prime minister.

But his defence team claims he was pressured into a confession during a police interrogation after his arrest in March.

On Wednesday, Mr Jovanovic told the court: "I have been convicted before even entering this courtroom and therefore I do not have confidence in this court and the judiciary of this country and use my right to defend myself with silence."

Some of the 36 defendants are former members of the elite paramilitary Red Berets unit.

The alleged mastermind, Milorad Lukovic - also known as Legija - is a former commander of the unit.

Thirteen of the defendants face charges of direct involvement in the murder.

Mr Milosevic has gone on trial in The Hague accused of war crimes and genocide.