Robert
Zagajski stands in a barren field on the outskirts of Munich and stares
at the spot where his father's lifeless and beaten body was discovered
in 1983. He was just 17 at the time of his father's murder, but the
terror of that day still lingers. "This place symbolizes suffering for
me," he confesses. As we witness in these opening moments from Tito's Murder Squads,
the thrilling new documentary from directors Phillip Grull and Frank
Hofmann, Robert's father Djuro was one of 30 victims in what is believed
to be the longest series of unsolved murders in German history.
Much like the majority of the slain, Djuro was a Croat exile who
stood in strong opposition to the socialist Yugoslavian regime, and
sought sanctuary on German soil. There were many thousands of
Yugoslavians just like Djuro, who were all anxious to take advantage of
Germany's bustling economic promise, and flee the constrictions of their
birth place beginning in the late 1960's. But for some, there was no
escape, and their homeland followed them in the form of ruthless
assassins sanctioned by the communist party and their leader Josip Broz
Tito.
Tito's Murder Squads untangles this twisted tale with all
the tension and intrigue of an international spy novel. The film tracks a
complex investigation that has mystified and challenged German
authorities for more than three decades. Their efforts are buoyed by the
families of the victims, who struggle to find closure in their quest
for justice.
That justice is hard fought, as investigators attempt to shed light
on a large group of Yugoslavian spies who have long operated in shadow
within Germany's borders. Uncovering reams of secret documents and
featuring a series of chilling interviews with many of the key players
on both sides of the story, the filmmakers remain vigilant in their
pursuit to hold accountable both the members of the Yugoslavian secret
service who signed the death warrants and the assassins who carried out
these dirty deeds. It's a journey that continues to this day. But for
people like Robert Zagajski , discovering the truth behind what was
taken from him so long ago is well worth the wait.
They are among the longest unsolved murders in Germany: Up until the
fall of the Berlin Wall, around 30 opponents of the Yugoslav regime were
killed in the Federal Republic. Most of them were exiled Croats. The
assassination orders came from Belgrade. For years, German investigators
searched for the murderers and the people behind them. One of the
masterminds was Josip Perkovic. German prosecutors believe the former
high-level intelligence agent was responsible for the murder of Stjepan
Djurekovic over 30 years ago. Now Perkovic has been indicted in Munich.
Philipp Grüll and Frank Hofmann have been looking into this and many
other cases. The result is a documentary as exciting as a thriller by
John le Carré.
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