Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service
    Odraz B92 vesti (by 6 PM), December 27, 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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    POLICE VIOLENCE
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    USA: SERBIA IS BY ITS OWN GOVERNMENT

    The USA accused Serbian authorities last night of stifling its
    citizens' civil rights and democratic freedoms, and warned that
    the use of police aggression to prevent further protests only
    increases the danger of confrontation and violence, reports FoNet.
    American officials emphasized that Milosevic will be responsible
    for any street violence in Belgrade and elsewhere in Serbia. The
    US repeated its demand for Milosevic's recognition of the election
    results from November 17.


    RUSSIAN CAMERAMAN BEATEN

    Cameraman of the Russian independent NTV gave a statement to FoNet
    agency, saying that Serbian police beat him last night and broke
    his camera. The cameraman was shooting an incident in which a
    young man was chased by a policeman when another policemen
    approached him from the back and started beating him. The incident
    happened in the very center of Belgrade.


    GREAT BRITAIN WORRIED ABOUT SERBIA

    The British Embassy in Belgrade announced today that Great Britain
    thinks that further attempts of Serbian authorities to prevent the
    protests will endanger their chances for re-integration into the
    international community, reports FoNet. London is ``deeply
    worried'' about the situation in Serbia, says the announcement.


    ZAJEDNO: SEVERE POLICE CRACKDOWN ON NON-VIOLENT DEMONSTRATORS

    The Information Center of the coalition Zajedno has issued several
    press releases about the conditions on Belgrade streets yesterday
    and today. Concerning yesterday's events, coalition Zajedno states
    that several people were hurt by the police last night. One of the
    incidents happened when the police intervened to prevent people
    from their usual walkabout in downtown Belgrade. Zajedno
    characterizes that intervention as ``unprovoked and unnecessary,''
    especially because the demonstrators were just about to go home.
    Three of the citizens involved had sustained some injuries and
    came to the headquarters of the Democratic Party asking for
    medical care. When the ambulance arrived, the physician ordered
    that all three of them be immediately transported to a hospital,
    for the injuries, inflicted on them by the police, were severe.


    BULATOVIC ON EVENTS IN SERBIA

    Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic has stated that ``Montenegro
    is suffering very heavy political and economic consequences of the
    political crisis in Serbia,'' reports FoNet today. ``We cannot
    take sides, but we legitimately demand that those problems be
    solved in a peaceful way, efficiently, impartially and as soon as
    possible,'' stated Bulatovic for Montenegrin TV.  He emphasized
    that ``a lot of time had been lost, and the problem of the
    elections has escalated into something else, so the essence of the
    conflict has been lost along the way. It is all heading towards an
    outcome that gives us much concern.''  Bulatovic added that ``the
    problem does not lie in the question of whether Milosevic's rule
    is legal or not. That was decided by the citizens. Nor is the
    problem the question whether or not the opposition supporters are
    true patriots. The fact is that the problem has been with us for
    more than 30 days. It shows no signs of going away, and the means
    for a solution have not yet been found. What we, from Montenegro,
    can do is to appeal to the parties involved in this crisis to find
    a solution as quickly as possible. Montenegro is, as part of
    Yugoslavia, in the spotlight of foreign criticism, too,''
    concluded the Montenegrin President.

    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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