<nettime> Latest FreeB92 news, May 20

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May 20 2000, all times are GMT+1
FreeB92 news bulletin
   
MIRKOVIC: EUROPE AND WORLD DID NOT FORGET INDEPENDENT MEDIA
20:21 - A round table on independent media in Serbia, in the organisation
of the International Federation of Journalists and the World Association
of Newspaper Publishers, was held today in Brussels. Journalists and
representatives of independent media from Serbia agreed with the officials
of international institutions on a technical and financial aid to
endangered free media in Serbia. Director of Radio B2-92 Sasa Mirkovic,
who participated on the round table on behalf of ANEM and Radio B2-92,
said that after this round table it became obvious that Europe and the
world had not forgotten about independent media and that they were ready
to help them in various ways. He went on to say that the delegation that
came from our country had been extremely united, which was very well
received. "Nobody expects anything to happen overnight - it is important
that we remained in contact, it is important that they know what we need,"
Mirkovic said. He said that the message from Brussels and Europe was that
independent media in Serbia could count on support and what they needed to
survive and stay on the air. 

GATHERING ENDS WITHOUT INCIDENTS
20:03 - In front of more than a thousand citizens, Studio B's public news
broadcast from the City Assembly's balcony has ended. There were no
incidents. 

DJINDJIC TO B2-92 ABOUT POSSIBLE FORMS OF PROTEST
20:01 - During his guest appearance on Radio B2-92, President of the
Democratic Party Zoran Djindjic spoke about possible forms of protest.
"After long talks and negotiations we have opted for a combination of
civil gatherings and a semi-institutional resistance in the cities in
which we still have an institutional influence, in order to block the
system and force it to declare itself - either by arresting us all and
making the dictatorship obvious, or by starting to negotiate," emphasised
Djindjic, adding that he thought that the concept of street marches would
not bring resolution to the crisis. Djindjic pointed out the importance of
preserving any form of evening gatherings in Belgrade until next Saturday
when a rally had been scheduled. "Our prediction is that Belgrade would be
blocked that day, which would mean a blockade of whole Serbia. We would
advise our people to come in hundreds, thousands of buses from all those
cities, to travel at speed of 30 or 40 kilometres per hour," Djindjic said
and added that a subsequent decision would depend on the results of that
blockade. The subsequent moves included people's march on foot from Serbia
to Belgrade, or a hunger strike of the opposition leaders in central
Belgrade. Djindjic also said that he did not feel "especially responsible"
for the fact that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic had been in power
in the last ten years. "Milosevic is partly a cause for our problems and
partly an effect of those problems. The problem is 'a Milosevic in us' and
not Milosevic outside of us. If it had not been for so many Milosevics in
our genes, so much of that mentality, Milosevic would not have been
possible," Djindjic said in an interview to Radio B2-92. 

ALEKSANDAR CALLS ON UNITY AGAINST REGIME
20:00 - Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic condemned regime's actions
against opposition forces in Serbia and stated that Serbian authorities
"had no other option but to resign". 

PUBLIC NEWS READING IN FRONT OF CITY ASSEMBLY
19:01 - After heavy rain, in the presence of several hundred citizens,
public reading of the Studio B news began in front of the Belgrade City
Assembly.

FHP: 40 PERSONS APPREHENDED IN LAST TWO DAYS
18:10 - According to the information of the Fund for Humanitarian Law,
misdemeanour proceedings against 40 arrested persons had been completed.
"All of them were sent to Padinska skela prison, to serve sentences of 20
to 30 days," lawyer of the Fund Igor Olujic told B2-92 and added: "Since
the Fund for Humanitarian Law gave phone numbers to all the victims of
police repression and offered possible legal aid as well, according to our
information, in the majority of cases, persons who were apprehended did
not have the opportunity to inform their families or contact their
defenders. What seems to be the biggest problem right now is the
possibility of the apprehended to contact anybody outside prison. At this
moment, the only possible way for lawyers to help the apprehended persons
in this illegal action - to put it mildly - is through possible
complaints. According to my knowledge, these persons were arrested as
citizens and not because of their political orientation. They simply found
themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time." 

FOUR DEMOCRACTIC PARTY MEMBERS APPREHENDED IN LESKOVAC
18:06 - Police in Leskovac today brought in and held for a shorter
interrogation four members of the Democratic Party in that town, because
they were distributing at a local marketplace the Alliance for Change
promotional leaflets and the opposition proclamation made in protest
against the takeover of Belgrade television Studio B. 

EUROPEAN MEDIA GIVING "NEUTRAL AID" TO SERBIAN COLLEAGUES
18:00 - The European Union, several European governments, governments of
Canada, the US and Japan, international organisations, and especially
western media, have made a concrete agreement with representatives of
independent Serbian media on permanent partnership and "aid mechanism" for
the resumption of Serbian free media's work, with editorial policy
remaining their exclusive right. The agreement has been reached in the
last two days during meetings in Brussels, which was confirmed today by
several West European papers. The mechanism would include such renowned
and powerful international media names such as BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio
France Internacional, dailies "Pais", "Republica", "Mond" and "Financial
Times". The main principle of this support and cooperation was merely a
"technical" aid to independent media, which should enable them to do their
work and editorial job within Serbia, even if they were forced, for
example, to go on the Internet or do satellite editions, or even broadcast
and be printed in Serbia's neighbourhood. Since free media and their
journalists had to survive in the meantime, working under difficult market
conditions and increasing pressure from the authorities, one of the forms
of solidarity from international institutions and West European media
partners would also include a fund for humanitarian aid and a supply of
resources for legal protection and defense of media and journalists under
authorities' repressive attack. During meetings in Brussels, it was
revealed that two thirds of journalists form Serbian free media were,
together with their families, "already living on the verge of poverty". 

SEVEN RENEWAL MOVEMENT MEMBERS APPREHENDED IN NIS
17:59 - A local branch of the Serbian Renewal Movement in Nis stated that
seven party members were brought in for interrogation in connection to the
attack on the Socialist Party local parliament representatives. The
incident in question had occured in front of the Nis City Assembly
building on May 18, when a group of citizens had assaulted representatives
of the Socialist Party of Serbia. 

TWO CLERKS FROM "STUBOVI KULTURE" BOOKSTORE ARRESTED AND BEATEN
16:48 -- During Thursday night's police intervention at the
demonstrations, several policemen stormed into the "Stubovi kulture"
bookstore at the Republic Square around 9.30 pm, beating up and arresting
two bookstore clerks - Nebojsa Todorovic and Aleksandar Ristovic. "We were
accused of causing public disturbance, setting rubbish bins on fire and
throwing rocks at the citizens and the police, and released after spending
20 hours in detention", Aleksandar Ristovic told B2-92 and added: "I
managed to get out because I had a protection from my firm which provided
a lawyer for me quickly. I think another three or four people were
released, we got out because a judge had sympathies for us, but all the
others, around 27 or 28 apprehended together with me, were sent to serve
10 to 30 days in Padinska Skela prison. This has gotten a little public
attention. They were locked up, beaten and sent to serve prison sentences
on a short notice, without having opportunity to call their families. It's
horrible," Ristovic sad. 

MORE THAN 30 CITIZENS DETAINED BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON
16:49 -- Serbian police continued detaining supporters of democratic
parties throughout Serbia. According to local opposition sources and Beta
news agency, they have brought into custody in Pirot 14 activists of
"Otpor" while covering walls with "Otpor" posters and in Priboj 14
opposition officials and activists of "Otpor".
 
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