Remembering Richard Jewell

Let’s face it: if somebody in the United States, let alone people close to the government, placed me in the same situation as I am in now in Serbia - I would have been a millionaire and that is the simplest difference between the United States and Serbia. USA is the land of opportunity while Serbia is the land of many mistakes and no opportunity.

1. Richard Jewell was never intentionally placed in deadly danger in his own country.

2. Jewell became a millionaire.

We both faced intense scrutiny from both law enforcement officials and the media, who were combing through our backgrounds and tracking our movements.

In Serbia, unknown people in power have been playing a game of wrong accusation and placing a suspicion either to get me killed by someone or with a goal to scare me and I move to the United States back on my own; although the latter option is highly unlikely. It is clear these guys have been doing it on purpose.

Even after the Justice Department officially cleared Jewell of any involvement in the bombing in late October 1996, some people still viewed him with suspicion. Alas, many Serbs view myself with suspicion in Serbia.

Jewell later filed libel lawsuits against several major media companies and reached settlements with CNN and NBC, among others. This is impossible for me to do in Serbia without outside help.

Although the cause of Richard’s death was ruled a heart attack, Jewell’s mother, Bobi, said she believes there was more to it. She said he was never the same after the incident. Being accused of a serious crime he never committed took a toll on her son.

In a 2019 interview with ABC News, Bobi Jewell said her son was affected significantly by the accusations. She believes the media scrutiny and his negative public image played a role in his death. “He was worn, torn, and tattered. He really was,” she said. “I think it killed him. I really do.”

They would not hesitate to name me the suspect in anything, they did already, that is how they play in Serbia. They do not care about anything.