ANEM'S WEEKLY REPORT ON MEDIA REPRESSION IN SERBIA

MAY 6 - 12, 2000

CZKD CULTURAL FIFTH COLUMN: RADIO BELGRADE DIRECTOR

BELGRADE, May 6, 2000 -- The director of state-run Radio Belgrade, former Serbian Information Minister Milivoje Pavlovic, yesterday described Belgrade's Centre for Cultural Decontamination (CZKD) as a cultural fifth column. Pavlovic wrote in Politika that "the whole spirituality of the Serbian people is on trial in the centre of Belgrade, which is not only the capital of Serbia and Yugoslavia, but also the capital of free spirit. The formula for this is that what NATO misses, the domestic fifth column will finish off". The source for the idea and the value that Serbian culture need nothing more than thorough decontamination is recognisable at the outset: it has the same background as the idea of protecting endangered human rights by bombing, said Pavlovic, adding that "While this delicate form of alliance with the aggressor remains, the alert system should not be fully discarded, a measure of increased caution for signs of danger should still be active.

Pavlovic alleged that the work of the Centre for Cultural Decontamination was not based on a rational value system and did not accept the fundamentals of cultural anthropology, including the idea that there are no hierarchies among cultures. "If such ideas have little axiomatic worth," he said, "their ideological dimension finds a different market. This is a basic ground for the creation of a new dogmatism, and is not far from the ideology of the stake; not so long ago, in the squares of Berlin, they wanted to decontaminate 'sinners' and people who thought differently".

POLICE GUARANTEE PROTECTION FOR POZAREVAC AGENCY CORRESPONDENT

POZAREVAC, May 7, 2000 -- The chief of police in the central Serbian town of Pozarevac, Colonel Radisa Jovic, has assured Beta agency's local correspondent, Mile Veljkovic, who has received several anonymous threats, of full police protection. Jovic, escorted by a police patrol, yesterday visited Veljkovic and pledged that police would attempt to find the person harassing him. Veljkovic is the brother of one of the Otpor activists arrested in the town on Tuesday after a conflict with members of the Yugoslav United Left.

The Beta correspondent has received a number of anonymous telephone threats and immediately notified police. On Saturday morning he was threatened with a bomb attack on his house. "As a journalist I have to say that I have reached the point of thinking about my personal safety and am seriously considering leaving this town," Veljkovic told Radio B2-92 today.

OWNER OF TV GRK'S PASSPORT CONFISCATED ON THE BORDER

BELGRADE, May 8, 2000 -- Aleksandar Djordjevic, the owner of TV Grk from Prokuplje, an ANEM member, was travelling to Ljubljana on business to take part in an international conference when he was stopped at the border near Subotica, taken from the bus, his luggage extensively searched, and, after being detained for over two hours was informed that there were irregularities in his passport regarding travel to Bulgaria in 1999. He was given written confirmation that his passport had been confiscated on suspicion of committing a criminal act but no specific details of what type of criminal act were offered. Aleksandar Djordjevic has still not been informed by any state body of any charges against him which would require his presence in the country.

JOURNALISTS PROTEST OVER CHARGES

BELGRADE, May 9, 2000 -- The Independent Association of Serbian Journalists today protested over criminal proceedings launched against journalist Milovan Brkic. A statement from the association said that Brkic, taking part in a program for TV Nemanja from Cuprija on October 10 last year, had criticised the policies of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and supported the Hague Tribunal. The Tribunal, said the association, had been accepted by the Yugoslav president himself when he signed the Dayton Agreement.

POPOVIC FILES NEW COMPLAINTS AGAINST KIKINDSKE NOVINE

KIKINDA, May 9, 2000 -- The editor of the state media network's local weekly newspaper in Kikinda, Rajko Popovic, has filed new misdemeanour charges under the Public Information Act against Kikindske novine. Also charged are the weekly's publisher, Kikindske, the public company Dom Omladine, Director Dusan Francuski, Editor-in-Chief Zeljko Bodrosic and writer Dragomir Vlaisavljevic. The charges relate to an article under the title "On the edge of the mind" published in Kikindske novine on April 21 which quoted previously published "untruths and insults" from a statement by the Independent Association of Vojvodina Journalists. Kikindske novine was fined 200,000 dinars under the Public Information Act on April 19 for publishing the association's statement. The charges are the fifth to be laid against the paper by Popovic in the past few months. The paper has so far been fined more than a million dinars.

PAPER SELLERS DETAINED

BELGRADE, May 9, 2000 -- Belgrade police yesterday detained three street vendors of the Banja Luka weekly Nezavisne novine. About two thousand copies of the current edition and three previous editions were confiscated. The vendors were detained in the centre of the city with the explanation that the sale of the paper was banned.

Nezavisne novine director Zeljko Kopanja said that the sales of the Banja Luka weekly were not officially banned in Serbia, adding that what was happening in Belgrade wasn't clear to him. He told media that one possible reason for the confiscation was a column in the latest issue by Belgrade journalist Aleksandar Tijanic which was dedicated to Serbian Information Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

CHARGES AGAINST BOOM 93 OWNER

POZAREVAC, May 9, 2000 -- Federal Inspector for Radio Connections Ranko Cipka has recommended charges be brought under Article 141 of the Federal Act on Connection Systems against Pozarevac firm Boom 93, the owner of the Radio Boom 93 and director Milorad Tadic. Cipka claims that Boom 93 had established a radio broadcast station and modulation link without proper licence. Tadic is charged with failing to take necessary measures to properly implement the law. The Act on Connection Systems provides for fines of up to 75,000 dinars for these offences.

Radio Boom 93, a member of ANEM, was closed on March 8 this year by a decision of the federal minister for telecommunication.

STATE MEDIA NETWORK DENIES SERVICES TO FOREIGN CREWS

BELGRADE, May 9, 2000 -- Radio Television Serbia, the state media network, today told foreign television crews that they were unable to provide the transmission services which are normally provided on a daily basis. The foreign journalists were given the explanation that the situation was caused by technical problems, which were not specified.

FOUR JOURNALISTS DETAINED BY POLICE, ONE REMAINS IN CUSTODY

BELGRADE, 9.5.2000 - Miroslav Filipovic, Kraljevo correspondent for the independent daily Danas and Agence France Presse, was arrested Monday at about 6.00 p.m. at his home in Kraljevo by three people dressed in civilian clothes who presented themselves as State Security officials. According to Filipovic's wife Slavica, a search of their apartment was also carried out when the arrest was made. The police confiscated Filipovic's passport, address book, texts and the hard disc of his computer. The police minutes said that these were collected as evidence for a possible criminal procedure. The Kraljevo District Court is holding hearings as to whether to press charges against Filipovic and whether to allow him to defend himself from freedom.

Beta news agency's correspondent in Pozarevac Mile Veljkovic and Danas journalists Bojan Toncic and Natasa Bogovic were arrested Monday night in Veljkovic's flat in Pozarevac along with Otpor activist Momcilo Veljkovic who was released from custody in Belgrade Monday. Seven policemen came to Veljkovic's flat to interview Momcilo Veljkovic, where the others were also present. The three journalists were released by Tuesday evening.

Joel Finks, correspondent for daily NRC Handelsblad from Rotterdam, and David Godfro, correspondent for daily Het Parol from Amsterdam, along with their interpreter Bosko Tubic were taken from their hotel to the police station in Pozarevac last night at around 11 p.m. Despite having shown their credentials and reporting permits issued by the police, they were subsequently escorted out of Pozarevac.

NOVINE VRANJSKE OWNER FINED FOR LIBEL

VLADICIN HAN, May 10, 2000 -- The editor-in-chief of Novine vranjske, Vukasin Obradovic, was fined 1,000 dinars in the Vladicin Han Municipal Court yesterday after being convicted of the criminal offence of libel.

Judge Nebojsa Milosevic found Obradovic guilty over a text in Novine vranjske on August 1, 1996 in which the internal affairs of the Socialist Party of Serbia were analysed and accusations made about the party's spokesman and local government president, Zoran Ljubisavljevic.

FRANCE PRESS CORRESPONDENT IN COURT

KRALJEVO, May 10, 2000 -- Journalist Miroslav Filipovic appeared in the Kraljevo District Court today in an investigative procedure. Filipovic is the Kraljevo correspondent for France Press and Belgrade daily Danas. He was arrested late on Monday and equipment and documents were seized from his apartment.

Filipovic's wife, Slavica, said today that no charges had been laid against the journalist. Danas legal representative Goran Draganic told media that the first part of the investigation indicated that such charges would be grave and would relate to endangering the constitutional order and security of Yugoslavia. The investigation will continue today.

RADIO TELEVISION PANCEVO CAMERAMAN DETAINED

SMEDEREVO, May 10, 2000 -- Radio Television Pancevo cameraman Sergej Bibic was detained in Smederevo yesterday afternoon and released after two hours. His recorded material was confiscated with no receipt issued and Bibic told that the appropriate state agencies only wanted "to look at it". Radio Television Pancevo is a member of the ANEM network.

"SPECIAL SITUATION" DRAWS PLANNED REGIME RESPONSE

BELGRADE, May 10, 2000 -- Following the arrest of Miroslav Filipovic, the Kraljevo correspondent for Belgrade daily Danas, Dutch journalists David Godfro and Joel Finks, together with their translator Dusko Tubic were expelled from Pozarevac later the same night despite having accreditation and valid working documents.

Shortly after midnight Beta agency's correspondent in Pozarevac, Mile Veljkovic, was arrested. Police also detained Veljkovic's brother, Momcilo, and Radojko Lukovic, Otpor activists who had been released earlier on Monday after being arrested on May 2 over a conflict in the town with members of the Yugoslav United Left. Also detained were Danas journalists Natasa Bogovic and Bojan Toncic who were in Veljkovic's house at the time.

Later on Tuesday another Danas journalist, Veljko Popovic, was arrested, together with English journalist Gillian Sandford of the Guardian, then photographers for Danas and the French agency Gamma, Imre Szabo, Branko Belic and Dragoljub Zamurovic.

Novi Sad police detained four journalists and 25 activists for opposition party youth branches and Otpor. These were arrested while staging a protest under the slogan "Death to Fascism + Down with Milosevic = Freedom for the Nation". The activists, and journalists reporting on the protest, were detained for several hours in the Novi Sad police headquarters without explanation. Those detained included Television Montenegro cameraman Bojan Erdeljanovic, two journalists from Novi Sad's Radio 021, Dragan Gmizic and Zarko Bogosavljevic, Radio In journalist Jovan Djeric and Radio Free Europe correspondent Marina Fratucan. The journalists were arrested for the sole reason that they were doing their job and with no explanation from police.

In Smederevo, police arrested a cameraman from RTV Pancevo, Sergej Bibic and a whole television crew from the Mladenovac offices of Studio B, Editor-in-Chief Milos Maslaric, journalist Jelena Petrovic, cameraman Novica Dabic and driver Pavle Jesic. In total, 22 journalists and other media workers were arrested within two days.

FRANCE PRESS CORRESPONDENT HANDED TO MILITARY COURT

NIS, Thursday May 11, 2000 -- The Kraljevo correspondent for France Press and Belgrade daily Danas, Miroslav Filipovic, appeared before the military court in Nis today. The president of the court, Colonel Vukadin Milojevic, said that he had received criminal charges for Filipovic from the District Court in Kraljevo where Filipovic had been sentenced to thirty days in prison. Milojevic added that he had not yet seen the charges because the papers were with the military prosecutor, but that Filipovic had been accused of espionage, which carries a sentence of three to fifteen years' imprisonment.

Filipovic was arrested three days ago in his apartment by members of the State Security Service who also confiscated his passport, address book, computer hard disc and eighty pages of written material.

JOURNALISTS, OPPOSITION AND OTPOR MEMBERS RELEASED

BELGRADE, May 11, 2000 -- The release from custody of Pozarevac Beta correspondent Mile Veljkovic marks the release of all thirty arrested journalists, opposition supporters and Otpor members detained earlier in the week. The detainees were released from police stations in Pozarevac, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Nis and Kraljevo. Veljkovic was released from custody at about 10.00 p.m. on Tuesday night. He had been held in the village of Malo Crnice, about fifteen kilometres from Pozarevac. Describing his arrest and time in the police station, Veljkovic told Radio B2-92 "Seven police with four plainclothes police and three inspectors rushed into the house without a warrant. I asked about a warrant and they told me this was not America. They took me away, told me to calm down, that this was only to be a small interrogation about some people they had arrested. They took me to Malo Crnice, people treated me well there. They told me I would be released as soon as the inspector came and I had given a statement. They would not allow me to use a telephone. In the meantime I asked three times for medical assistance because I'm a diabetic and a medical team came three times. Some time about 10.00 p.m. Inspector Goran Markovic from Pozarevac police arrived and said, 'Let's go home'. He added 'Imagine this banal reason: for five hours nobody could find a car to drive you home'."

CRIMINAL CHARGES OVER ARREST OF 29 JOURNALISTS

BELGRADE, May 11, 2000 -- The Yugoslav Committee for Human Rights will file charges against all responsible for the arrest of 29 journalists in Pozarevac and other towns in Serbia, the Committee's representative, Biljana Kovacevic Vuco, said today. She told a press conference that there could be no mention of police fairness to the imprisoned journalists because detention in custody without reason was a criminal offence and somebody must take the consequences.

DEMAND FOR MINISTRY TO FACILITATE STUDIO B OPERATION

BELGRADE, May 11, 2000 -- The Executive Committee of the Belgrade City Assembly today demanded that the Federal Ministry of Telecommunications facilitate the unhindered broadcasting of RTV Studio B's program and assist in discovering those responsible for disrupting the station's signal. A statement from the city government reiterated the allegation that the jamming of Studio B had been carried out for several months under orders from the regime, adding that in the past few days a program on the broadcaster's radio frequency had also become a target.

POLITIKA DENIES MIHAJLOVIC SPS MEMBERSHIP

BELGRADE, May 11, 2000 -- State-run daily Politika yesterday indirectly retracted earlier information that Yugoslav national football representative Sinisa Mihajlovic had joined the Socialist party of Serbia. In an article under the title "Sinisa Mihajlovic, ambassador or goodwill", Politika reported a statement from the Yugoslav Minister for Sport and president of the Savski Venac Socialist Party committee, Velizar Ceric, who said that what he described as a misunderstanding with Mihajlovic had been sorted out. The paper also reported that the minister's statement had been given following a spate of articles in certain opposition newspapers which were giving false information and manipulating and speculating about the visit of the international football star to the Municipal Committee of the Socialist Party in Savski Venac.

JOURNALIST INTERROGATED

BELGRADE, May 11, 2000 -- Belgrade journalist Milovan Brkic, accused of damaging the reputation of the Yugoslav president on a television program in Jagodina last October, was yesterday interrogated in the Jagodina District Court by Judge Zivotije Dimitrijevic and prosecutor Milovan Bozovic. Brkovic said during the interrogation that he stood by everything he had said on the program, adding that these were his "firm beliefs". His lawyer, Rajko Danilovic, told media that Brkic had also been charged with the criminal offence of disseminating false information.

Brkic had been interrogated the previous day in proceedings of the First Belgrade Municipal Court on charges by eight lawyers against the paper Srpska rec. The charges relate to an article by Brkic published in March 1995. The lawyers are seeking compensation of a million dollars over Brkic's allegation that they had been hired by police, acting on the orders of Milosevic, to work in the Hague in order to control Serb prisoners there, to see that they "behaved properly" and did not make accusations against authorities in Serbia and the Republic of Srpska.

PRINTER CENSORS MAGAZINE FRONT PAGE

BELGRADE, May 12, 2000 -- Belgrade weekly Blic News Magazine appeared two days late today after the Borba printing house refused to print a front page featuring the clenched-fist symbol of the Otpor student movement. Blic daily had earlier advertised the weekly magazine showing the original cover. The new front page features a photograph of footballer Sinisa Mihajlovic.

TRIAL OF WRITER CONTINUES

ZAJECAR, May 12, 2000 -- The hearing of charges against aphorist Boban "Bapsi" Miletic continued in the Zajecar District Court yesterday. The charges allege that Miletic, at a promotion for his book "Weep, Mother Serbia", committed the criminal offence of ridiculing the state and the president. The offensive aphorisms alleged in the indictment are "Milosescu, you'll end up like Ceausescu", "Comrade leader, don't be afraid, your pole has been prepared", and others. Witnesses at the trial have told the court that they have no recollection of the aphorisms and several have added that they heard nothing which damaged the reputation of the Yugoslav President. The trial is scheduled to resume of May 31.

FREE B92 PUBLISHES IMPRISONED ALBANIAN POET

BELGRADE, Friday -- As part of the campaign for the release of Flora Brovina, the founder of the League of Albanian Women in Kosovo, Samizdat-Free B92 has published a collection of Brovina's poems, translated into Serbian for the first time.

Brovina, a paediatrician, poet and humanitarian worker, was sentenced in Pozarevac District Court last December to twelve years in prison after being convicted on charges of terrorism.

Speaking at the launch of the book, "Call Me By My Name", publisher Veran Matic described Brovina as symbolising the victims of a repressive and non-democratic regime and a symbol of stalwart resistance to that regime. Playwright Biljana Srbljanovic, representing the Forum of Writers, called for a stepped-up campaign for the release of Brovina.

The Greek ambassador to UNESCO, Marijana Vardino, yesterday announced that Brovina would share the award of the Foundation for the Child and the Family, given on the occasion of the World Day of Women.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ISOLATE COMMUNICATIONS

BELGRADE, May 12, 2000 -- The Federal Government has resolved to ban mobile telephones and pagers in business premises of the government and its bodies. The government will also isolate its computer network, banning any connection to the Internet.

At its meeting on May 5, the government issued instructions to all staff of federal bodies to take a highly restrictive approach to the use of telephones and to avoid the mention of names, positions, facilities and official data. The meeting also resolved that the federal ministries of defence, internal affairs and telecommunications should prepare a plan for the defence and security of federal bodies and organisations.

For further information, contact Veran Matic, Chairperson, or Marija Milosavljevic at ANEM, Masarikova 5/XVII, 11000 Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia, tel: +381 361 9228, fax: +381 361 9428, e-mail: veran.matic@opennet.org, marija@opennet.org, alternate e-mail: juliab92@xs4all.nl, Internet: http://www.freeb92.net, http://www.anem.opennet.org

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