UPSC Prelims 2004 Q83: Current Affairs – International Conflicts & Security
The Prime Minister
of which one of the following countries was assassinated in the year 2003?
- (a) Czech Republic
- (b) Romania
- (c) Serbia
- (d) Slovenia
Answer: (c) Serbia
Explanation
Prime Minister assassinated in 2003
| Country | Event |
|---|---|
| Serbia | Zoran Djindjic was assassinated in Belgrade on 12 March 2003 |
| Czech Republic | No |
| Romania | No |
| Slovenia | No |
The Prime Minister of Serbia, Zoran Djindjic, was assassinated by a sniper in Belgrade in March 2003, after he had helped to hand over Slobodan Milosevic to the war crimes tribunal at The Hague.
Answer: (c) Serbia.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. The Czech PM was not assassinated in 2003.
- (b) Incorrect. Romania's PM was not assassinated in 2003.
- (c) CORRECT. Serbia's Prime Minister was assassinated in 2003.
- (d) Incorrect. Slovenia's PM was not assassinated in 2003.
Key point
Djindjic: Serbia's first democratic PM after Milosevic, shot in March 2003.
Remember
Serbia's Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic was assassinated in 2003.
Common mistakes
- Mixing the event with the Swedish Foreign Minister's killing in 2003.
- Choosing a country by region alone, without recall.
- Forgetting the Milosevic extradition link.
Exam tip
Assassinations: Djindjic (2003), Hariri (2005), Bhutto (2007).
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Zoran Djindjic
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Serbia