Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service
    Odraz B92 vesti (by 4 PM), December 9, 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 4 PM
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    RADIO B92 ON ARRESTED BULATOVIC

    Radio B92 has learned from reliable sources in the Belgrade
    District Penitentiary that Dejan Bulatovic has suffered a broken
    nose as a result of police brutality inflicted upon him while in
    prison, but there has been no official report by the penitentiary
    physician. A criminal suit is to be brought against Bulatovic for
    ``damaging the President's reputation,'' a charge separate from
    the one of ``disturbing public peace and order'' for which he is
    currently serving a 25 day prison-sentence. If he is found guilty
    of the new charge, he faces a minimum sentence of one year in
    prison.


    ELIZABETH RENN'S LETTER TO MILOSEVIC

    UN Special Envoy for Human Rights in former Yugoslavia, Elizabeth
    Renn has sent a letter to Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic
    calling for extended guarantees of freedom of the media in Serbia.
    In her letter, she expresses concern about the attempts to close
    down the last remaining radio stations in Serbia as well as the
    recent arrests of a number demonstrators and the fact that they
    have been denied legal assistance. She has also protested strongly
    against the arrest and beating of the student Dejan Bulatovic.


    STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AGAINST ARREST OF BULATOVIC

    Today's open letter by the students of UofB's College of Arts
    condemns the arrest and aggravated police assault on Bulatovic and
    calls for a protest against the brutality and the extra-legal
    activities of the police force. ``Let us prove that we are human
    beings rather than animals that can be abused by anybody carrying
    a baton,'' the letter urges.


    INDEPENDENT UNION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT EMPLOYEES ANNOUNCED STRIKE

    President of the Independent Union of Public Transport Employees
    ``Nezavisnost'' [Independence], Milan Simic said at today's press
    conference that the Union would stage a strike unless their
    demands regarding working conditions, security and economic
    problems were met. The strike is to begin immediately upon
    expiration of the 10-day legal term required after the filing of
    the union's demands with the City Hall and the Serbian Ministry of
    Transport.


    IMT ON STRIKE

    A statement by the employees of the Motor and Tractor Industries
    (IMT) announced they began their strike today. The statement said
    they would hold a protest rally before the Government of Serbia
    building demanding that ``the current agreement on production and
    on the payment of overdue wages be fulfilled.''

    ``We join the student protest against the nullification of the
    electoral will of the citizens,'' said the statement. The
    announced march to the building of the Serbian Government did not
    take place.


    PROTESTS IN VELIKO GRADISTE

    About 500 citizens of Veliko Gradiste gathered today in an act of
    support for the protests in other cities in Serbia. The crowd was
    addressed by local representatives of coalition Zajedno and the
    gathering was concluded by a walk through the city streets.


    AN OPEN LETTER FROM SERBIAN LIBERAL PARTY TO KATI MARTON

    Serbian Liberal Party sent an open letter today to the chair of
    the Committee To Protect Journalists, Ms. Kati Marton, in which
    they object to her statement that Slobodan Milosevic was a
    ``democratically elected president.''  ``How can it be said that
    someone has been democratically elected, when that person has had
    complete control over the police department, the army forces, the
    finances and the television [in this country]?  [He] was elected
    on the grounds of an electoral law that had been made to measure
    for one party only and one man alone,'' concludes Serbian Liberal
    Party in its letter.


    HEAD OF SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH REFUSED AUDIENCE TO STUDENT
    DELEGATION YESTERDAY

    The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Pavle, refused to
    meet with the delegation of student protesters who wanted him to
    bless the protests. The newspaper ``Dnevni Telegraf'' says that
    Patriarch Pavle ``did not wish his words to be misused, because
    [he feels] the protest is a political one.''


    ``NASA BORBA:'' PURGES IN ``POLITIKA''

    Today's ``Nasa Borba'' says that about thirty journalists of
    ``Politika'' will be laid off on the order of the General Manager
    of ``Politika,'' Dragan Hadji Antic. Among those journalists there
    is no one from the group of 46 journalists who had previously
    officially denied any connection with the coverage that
    ``Politika'' has been giving about what is happening in Serbia.
    ``Perhaps those lay-offs have some other motivation behind them''
    says ``Nasa Borba.''


    RESOLUTION OF BUNDESTAG ON SITUATION IN SERBIA

    German Bundestag has unanimously passed a resolution on the
    present situation in the Republic of Serbia which openly supports
    the current democratization forces in the country. The Bundestag
    supports the demands of the Serbian opposition for the recognition
    of Nov 17 municipal election results and for further democratic
    reforms. The German parliament supports the protests of hundreds
    of thousands of Serbian citizens. Obstructing the work of
    independent media and shutting down radio-stations are clear
    violations of basic democratic principles, the Bundestag
    resolution points out. Given all that, President Milosevic has
    made it harder for FR Yugoslavia to enter the structures of the
    European community. The resolution warns that any further
    oppression of the media and any continuation of the present
    disregard of democratic principles will bring serious consequences
    for FR Yugoslavia in terms of its further isolation and renewed
    sanctions.

    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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