dDH: Protests in Serbia Archive (1996-1997): Serbian Renewal Movement: News of Feb. 14

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Protests in Serbia Archive
Serbian Renewal Movement: News of Feb. 14

15th February, 1997

Eighty seventh protest meeting in Belgrade

At yesterday's meeting of the Coalition ZAJEDNO supporters, Vuk Draskovic, leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, showed surprise that lex specialis was actually applied in accordance with the real results of local elections of November 17th 1996. Draskovic also said that in the distribution of the mandates the municipalities of Novi Beograd and Mladenovac were left out. These municipalities were not stated in the OSCE report.

Stressing that electoral theft, being a crime, does not expire, Draskovic promised that, when Coalition ZAJEDNO wins the republic elections, the munici- palities of Novi Beograd and Mladenovac will get all the mandates belonging to them, and that those responsible for the theft will be prosecuted.

"If we lived in a normal country, at least the minister of the police, judiciary and the president of the Parliament would have filed resignations, and now the Law accepts the theft. In a normal country theft would not even be possible", said Draskovic.

Prosecuting the police chiefs

Fund for the Human Rights brought criminal charges against the policemen who beat up the journalists and used other forms of physical violence upon the journalists following the protests of the citizens. These criminal charges were brought against the police chiefs Milos Vukobrat and Petar Zekovic, and the minister of the police Zoran Sokolovic.

The Fund accuses the police officers to have committed crimes on duty, inflicted minor and severe injuries upon the citizens and damaged private property. The Fund accuses the police chiefs of negligence on duty for they did not bring criminal and disciplinary charges against the police officers, who have overstepped their duties.

The names of many domestic and foreign reporters who were just doing their jobs when they became victims of the police violence, were also stated in that announcement.

Deans of the Belgrade faculties spoke with the minister of education

Deans of the three Belgrade Faculties: schools of Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Chemical Engineering, accepted the invitation of the newly elected Minister of Education Jova Todorovic to come for a talk in the Ministry of Education. On that occasion, they informed the Minister of the decisions of the Belgrade students who said that they would not start atten- ding classes until the President of University and student Vice-President of Belgrade University resign. On that occasion nothing specific was said. The minister only said that he should see what he could do about that.

Rector dr. Dragutin Velickovic has been on sick leave for some time now and has not been coming to work.

The minister does not know her duty

For some time now the pre-school institutions in Belgrade have been on strike. Newly appointed Minister for the Family Issues, Bratislava Morina, refused to see the representatives of the pre-school institution employees. Explanation for this was given by the Vice-President of the Syndicates' City Council, who said that "the Minister does not know her precise duties yet"!

Television Politika on strike

One hundred and fifty part-time employees of the TV-Politika stopped working yesterday on account of not receiving their fees. The employees gathered yesterday in front of the Politika building unsatisfied with the statement of the chief editor of Television Politika, Goran Kozic, who told them to find better jobs if they are unsatisfied with the jobs in that company.

Unofficial information is that all 150 employees were given - notice!