Serbian trance DJ identified as alleged war criminal

WARNING: This article contains distressing accounts of war and genocide and may be distressing for some people. Resources for support are listed at the end of this article.

Serbian trance DJ Srđan Golubović, AKA DJ Max, has been identified as an alleged war criminal involved in the Bijeljina massacre in April 1992 — according to Rolling Stone reporting.

The report has named Golubović as the subject of one of the most famous photographs from the Bosnian War.

Taken by American photojournalist Ron Haviv and originally published in TIME Magazine, the photograph appears to show Golubović raising his leg in a kicking motion towards some civilians who had been shot.

Haviv took a number of other photographs, including pictures of before and after the civilians appeared to be shot, as well as images appearing to show Golubović in Bijeljina at the time of the massacre.

Rolling Stone also found that he was also on the payroll of Arkan’s Tigers, the Serbian paramilitary group who are believed to have been behind a number of atrocities during the Bosnian War, including the Bijeljina massacre.

Golubović has reportedly been DJing since the 1990s, being involved in Belgrade’s underground electronic music scene. He has been part of trance DJ collective Xperiment and founded his own record label Ultra Groove Records.

He has also played at some of Serbia’s biggest clubs and festivals, including EXIT, with his last appearance in 2016.

EXIT Festival told Rolling Stone that it cut ties with him after learning about the allegations of his involvement in the war. It said in a statement: “EXIT has always been more than a music festival, promoting the values of peace, love and tolerance among young people – values that our region desperately needed.”

Rolling Stone featured screenshots and footage of Golubovic's DJ appearances, including one captured by USC Shoah Foundation (above) of "DJ Max" performing in Novi Sad, Serbia, in November 2022.

The head of the Serbian Volunteer Guard paramilitary group Arkan’s Tigers, Zeljko Rasnatovic AKA Arkan, was shot dead in January 2000.

Since then, only one member of the group has faced prosecution for war crimes, with Boban Arsic being convicted in absentia in Croatia, according to BalkanInsight.

The Bosnian War took place in former Yugoslavian republic Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. It was one of the bloodiest wars and genocides in history, with around 100,000 civilians believed to have been killed.

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[Via: Rolling Stone]

Isaac Muk is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter