Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 9 PM), March 3, 1997

    E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
    WWW:    http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/, http://www.opennet.org/b92/
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    All texts are Copyright 1997 Radio B92. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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    NEWS BY 9 PM
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    STUDENTS PATROL SITES

    On Monday, the 102nd day of their protest, Belgrade University
    students marched through central Belgrade, passing all ``official
    student institutions'' such as the Student Cultural Centre. A
    group of the students carried out a ritual of ``destruction of the
    so-called independent media,'' in support of Serbian Minister for
    Information Radmila Milentijevic's claim that these media were
    unprofessional and not objective when compared to the professional
    state media.

    The students burned current issues of several independent
    newspapers and magazines, and cheered in front of the buildings of
    the state run media companies Politika and Borba. Outside Radio
    B92 and Radio Index, the students poured buckets of water in the
    street ``in order to wet the coaxial cables, and thus shut down
    these unobjective and unprofessional stations run by foreign
    mercenaries.''

    During the demonstration, the students also shouted slogans such
    as ``Long Live Sloba'' and ``Sloba is ours, we are Sloba's.''

    The students have announced that on Tuesday they will perform a
    ritual of ``self-flagellation,'' in front of theheadquarters of
    JUL, the Yugoslav Left. The students will whip themselves, ask for
    forgiveness, and apply to join the Yugoslav Left as membersof the
    party.

    Tuesday's student action will begin at 2.00 pm.


    STUDENTS TO SUE POLICE AND CHANCELLOR

    Legal representatives of protesting Belgrade University students
    will file criminal charges on Tuesday against Serbian Interior
    Minister Zoran Sokolovic, Belgrade Police Chief Petar Zekovic and
    other police officers.

    The charges include criminal neglect of duty, the concealment of
    criminal acts and using unreasonable force against citizens in the
    streets.

    The students will also press charges against University Chancellor
    Dragutin Velickovic for failing to make a complaint to police
    about an illegal break-in at the Faculty of Philosophy by police
    officers.


    PESIC: SOCIALISTS LOOTED CITIES

    Zajedno coalition leader, Vesna Pesic, during a visit to Norway,
    has accused the governing Socialist Party of Serbia of plundering
    the fourteen largest local constituencies in Serbia, before
    handing them over to the opposition.

    ``The socialists have stripped funds from local authority
    accounts, and removed all equipment from offices: mobile phones,
    faxmachines and computers. Serbian President, Slobodan Milosevic,
    will do anything he can to discredit the opposition before the
    parliamentary and presidential elections,'' claimed Mrs. Pesic.


    UNIVERSITY ASSEMBLY ILLEGAL

    The Serbian Ministry of Education on Monday claimed that last
    week's session of ``part'' of the University Assembly was ``the
    continuation of the illegal and illegitimate work of a group of
    deans. The aims of that work are the breach of legal standards,
    destabilisation of the University and an attempt to serve
    political interests which have nothing to do with the University.
    Decisions of the Assembly have no legal force, and the Ministry
    will do everything in its power to uphold the law in the work of
    the University,'' says the Ministry announcement.


    SESELJ: ZAJEDNO CHASING PUBLICITY

    The president of the Serbian Radical Party, Vojislav Seselj, on
    Sunday told media that the law and the constitution must be
    observed at all levels of power, including the local, and that it
    was unacceptable for local authorities to take over the
    prerogatives of the Republic government.

    Mr Seselj accused the Zajedno coalition of using local government
    in Belgrade merely to gain media attention, and not as a
    responsibility to all Belgraders.


    MINISTER PLEDGES TEACHERS' SALARIES

    The Serbian Minister for Education, Jovo Todorovic announced that
    teachers in Serbia will be paid the second half of their January
    salaries on Wednesday March 5. The Ministry of Education claims
    that only 1.5% of primary schools and 4.8% of secondary schools
    did not work on Monday.


    NIN STRIKE

    Deputy Editor-In-Chief of the Belgrade independent weekly NIN,
    Dragan Bujosevic on Monday announced that 17 of the magazine's 28
    journalists had decided to strike in protest at the replacement of
    Editor-in-Chief Dusan Velickovic.

    Mr. Bujosevic told Radio B92 that the striking staff were
    demanding a voice on the Management Board. They say that the Board
    had decided without reference to them that Mr Velickovic had
    recently made too many errors of judgement and had to be replaced.

    There is some uncertainty as to whether this week's issue of NIN
    will appear on time or not.


    SWISS TO DEPORT 12.000 YUGOSLAVS

    The Swiss Foreign Ministry has announced an agreement with
    Yugoslavia to deport 12,000 Yugoslav citizens, after their
    requests for political asylum were denied. The announcement says
    that Belgrade has agreed to accept responsibiliy for those
    Yugoslavs who do not have the legal right to be in Switzerland.

    Prepared by: Goran Dimitrijevic
    Edited by: Steve Agnew

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service
    E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
    WWW:    http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/, http://www.opennet.org/b92/
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