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<nettime> Latest FreeB92 news, May 20 |
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". # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net