Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service
    Odraz B92 vesti (by 3 PM), December 8, 1996

    e-mail: beograd@siicom.com      URL: http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/
            odrazb92@b92.opennet.org     http://www.siicom.com/b92/
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    All texts are Copyright 1996 Radio B92. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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    NEWS BY 3 PM
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    SUPREME COURT RULES: FIVE APPEALS REJECTED

    ``The Municipal Electoral Committee has received 5 rulings by the
    Supreme Court of Serbia so far, rejecting the appeal to review the
    orders cancelling 33 terms of office won by Zajedno in the local
    elections,'' said Zajedno legal staff at today's press conference.
    They said that the rulings by the Supreme Court for Nis, Belgrade
    Municipality of Savski Venac and Pirot have not been served yet.


    DRAGANIC ON SUPREME COURT ORDER

    Member of Zajedno Legal Board, Goran Draganic said that last
    night's order by the Supreme Court showed ``the final demise of
    the judicial system in Serbia'' and that ``court ruling represent
    the political will of the regime.''  The decision on how
    opposition Zajedno will respond and what its next move will be is
    yet to made.


    SERBIAN CHAMBER OF JURISTS CALLS FOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ELECTORAL
    RESULTS

    Executive Board of the Serbian Chamber of Jurists called for
    acknowledgment of the electoral results of Nov 17 local elections
    because they the Board has found that they were ``based on a
    lawful procedures'' and are therefore legally binding. The Board's
    statement said that ``any disregard of the rules prescribed
    represents not only a violation of the law but is a step that
    leads straight to social chaos.''  They think a general public
    session of the Supreme Court of Serbia could help establishing the
    truth.


    VUK DRASKOVIC: FOR MILOSEVIC'S RESIGNATION

    Leader of Serbian Renewal Party (SPO), Vuk Draskovic has given an
    interview to Radio B92 regarding the Supreme Court ruling:
    ``Milosevic has shown himself to be not the head of state, but the
    head of juridical and state terrorism. He is the de facto
    President of the Supreme Court, General Manager of state-owned
    television, head of the police, Editor-In-Chief of the daily
    'Politika'. He wants to provoke civil disorder and blood-shed in
    Serbia in order to remain in power. We must go on with our non-
    violent protests and bring about a general non-violent Serbian
    uprising against this dangerous strategy of a man who has become
    the head of state-terrorism directed against his own people.''


    COALITION ZAJEDNO: NO LEGAL AVENUES LEFT

    Late last night the Supreme Court of Serbia rejected the demands
    for a review of the decision reached by the First Municipal Court
    which had been submitted by opposition Zajedno and the Belgrade
    Electoral Commission. They had requested a Supreme Court review of
    the annulment of the electoral results pertaining to 33 Members of
    the Council of the City Hall, all of whom are members of Zajedno.

    Legal advisors of Zajedno explained to journalists that there is
    not a single legal avenue left to them today.

    Only the Serbian DA could have one, based on the previously
    submitted initiative for a request to protect the legality to the
    Supreme Court.

    Provided that the DA accepts the initiative which was submitted
    separately by the Belgrade Electoral Commission and Zajedno, the
    DA's office could order a review of the entire legal process
    relating to the elections, a process that has now ground to a
    halt.


    PRESIDENT OF SERBIA CAN NOT ANNUL ELECTIONS

    Legal advisors of Zajedno today tried to address the question
    which has arisen in the public mind regarding whether the
    President of Serbia has Constitutional rights to annul local
    elections.

    ``According to the law and Constitution, the President of Serbia
    cannot annul elections,'' explained Goran Draganic, legal adviser
    of Zajedno. ``However, the President has a Constitutional right to
    dissolve political organizations, dissolve the Parliament and call
    for an extraordinary round of municipal and higher-level
    elections,'' added Draganic.


    LAWYER BAROVIC: BULATOVIC BEATEN AND HEAVILY INJURED

    Nikola Barovic explained at a press conference called by Zajedno,
    the opposition coalition, the situation regarding the arrest
    21-year old Dejan Bulatovic, a young man who carried the Slobodan
    Milosevic effigy during the protests held in Belgrade last week.

    According to Barovic, some 40 people have been taken into custody,
    30 of which have been accused of minor offenses and the remaining
    10 charged with criminal offenses. What all these cases have in
    common is that all of the suspects were apprehended, denied food
    and water for 24 hours, and [except for 3 of the accused] all were
    denied their constitutional right to contact their lawyers. ``Both
    the Criminal Law and the Law on Offenses were violated,'' said
    Barovic, adding: ``For one egg or a yogurt thrown, people were
    sentenced to 7 days in prison.'' As for Dejan Bulatovic, Barovic
    said that he was arrested late last night near the Omladinski
    Stadium, on his way home from the protest. He was then taken to
    the prison in Padinska Skela. According to witnesses, Bulatovic's
    fellow prisoners who were released last night after having served
    a 7-day sentence, Bulatovic was assaulted by police officers,
    beaten and heavily injured.

    Legal advisors of Zajedno submitted an appeal to the Ministry of
    Justice for the young man to be transferred to a hospital in
    downtown Belgrade, but the assistant of the Minister replied
    saying that Zajedno should address the ``those under whose
    jurisdiction the case is'' being heard and not this Ministry
    itself. ``This is worse than back in 1991, 1992 and 1993,'' said
    Barovic, explaining that Bulatovic's defense lawyers still do not
    know what Bulatovic is accused of as he is still being denied
    legal counsel and they have had no contact with him as yet.


    BOGDAN TIRNANIC RESIGNS AS THE ASSISTANT TO THE GENERAL MANAGER OF
    'POLITIKA'

    Assistant to the General Manager of 'Politika' for television,
    Bogdan Tirnanic resigned this position today and announced that he
    will not engage in journalism for a longer period to come,
    reported the Belgrade daily ``Dnevni Telegraf'' today. ``The
    reasons for my decision are, I believe, completely clear. In this
    situation, the responsibility that comes from aiding and abetting
    a course of action that may have tragic consequences is too heavy
    to bear, '' said Tirnanic about his decision. Tirnanic submitted
    his resignation to Hadzi Dragan Antic, General Manager of
    'Politika' last Wednesday.


    PUBLIC INITIATIVE OF A GROUP OF JOURNALISTS: TIJANIC FOR THE
    EDITOR IN CHIEF OF NIN

    ``We ask Mr. Aleksandar Tijanic, former Minister of Information to
    accept the position of full-time Editor in Chief of NIN [the
    Belgrade weekly],'' said a letter signed by a group of independent
    journalists today.

    ``Since Mr. Tijanic, for his determination to serve the cause of
    truth, has became unemployed and both he and his family are facing
    hardship as a result of his decision, while at the same time our
    weekly stands in need of a new editor-in-chief, we feel that his
    arrival in NIN would be a major benefit for NIN and independent
    journalism,'' said an open letter signed by journalists Dragan
    Jovanovic, Petar Ignja, Milivoje Glisic, Jugoslav Vlahovic, Milan
    Damjanovic and Slobodan Savovic.


    LJUBA TADIC ADDRESSED STUDENTS

    Famous Serbian actor, Ljuba Tadic addressing the student
    protesters who gathered today again said: ``The Supreme Court has
    sentenced us this morning to a life of marches. They say that the
    others are incapable of leading this country, but I think that by
    walking tall and with your dignity intact, you are preparing
    yourselves to be the loyal opposition to even the present
    opposition.''


    DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF SERBIA SUPPORTS PROTESTS

    Executive Board of the Democratic Party of Serbia expressed today
    their support for the protesters throughout Serbia. They have
    invited their members and supporters to join the demonstrations.

    Prepared by: Aleksandra Scepanovic
    Edited by: Vaska Andjelkovic (Tumir)

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