Andreas Broeckmann on Mon, 27 Jul 1998 14:09:15 +0100 |
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Syndicate: FW: new University law in Serbia |
> Dear friends, > > I am sending you few documents concerning the new university law, its > application and our fight against it. > > I suppose that some of you have already been informed through the press, > what is the essence of new university law in Yugoslavia. > It stops all autonomy - everything is under control- who is going to be > accepted from assistant to professor is to be decided by dean only, > without > any consultation of collegium of professors - the only consultation is > with Government, or party authorities... > > We, the professors of Belgrade University and Belgrade University of Arts, > keep the protest activities going throughout the summer. The main organism > is still: University Committee for the Defense of Democracy, established > in > December 1996 during the University and Citizens protest. But, We have > formed also now: Association of professors and researchers of Yugoslavia > (we have been refused registration as association in Serbia, so we had to > ask the Federal level...) and we are trying to prevent this new "reforms" > specifically introduced by the Deans nominated by extreme right party > (Dean > R. Marojevic - Philological Faculty, and V. teodosic - Faculty of > Electroingeenering). (I suppose that you know that now we have red and > black coalition on power, extreme left party Yul of Milosevic wife, > extreme right party - Seselj radicals, and Milosevic socialist party.) > > Anyway, instead of reading, writing, making research, we are still > occupied > with essential fight for basic democracy and little spaces for freedom we > used to have even in previous socialist times - but now we are in real > communism - who knows in what... > > best regards > > Milena > > P.S. > > I know that you all are on vacations, but, maybe, someone is going to look > the mail to see what is happening somewhere in the world.. And if you have > time, make some short protest letters like those I am sending to you - > Prof. Dr Klaus Lamfried, from rectoral Conference... > THE BELGRADE CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS Mlati{umina 26/I, 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia Tel./Fax. +381 11 - 432 572, 344 1203 E-mail: bgcentar@EUnet.yu INFORMATION BULLETIN Special Edition No. 7 8 June 1998 Sixteen law professors refuse to sign "a declaration of loyalty" to the Government Sixteen eminent professors of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law declared that they would not sign the new employment contracts required by the recently adopted Bill on Universities. In the statement issued on Friday, June 5, they said that the new employment contracts were in fact "a declaration of loyalty" to the Government. Among those who signed are 6 distinguished tenured professors of the Faculty of Law: Dr. Danilo Basta, Dr. Kosta Cavoski, Dr. Vojin Dimitrijevic, Dr. Miroljub Labus, Dr. Mirjana Todorovic and Dr. Jovica Trkulja. Article 165 of the new Bill on Universities requires that all professors at Serbian universities, including tenured ones, sign new employment contracts within 60 days, notwithstanding their existing employment contracts. If not, they would lose their jobs. The provision is widely regarded as a venue to lay off "disloyal" professors because the Government does not have a corresponding duty to offer the contract. The Rector of the University of Belgrade and deans of seven faculties resigned last week in protest to the adoption of the Bill on Universities. Faculty of Philosophy is still on general strike. However, other faculties have not joined the strike and students on Friday called off their demonstrations. The new Bill on University ended all vestiges of the autonomy at Serbian universities. The rector of the university, deans of faculties, as well as all collective governing and supervisory bodies will be appointed by the Government, without any guarantee for the representation of the faculty and students. The government-appointed deans of faculties will freely employ and dismiss university professors and other teaching staff. Appointments of tenured professors will have to be approved by the Minister of Education. The public strongly opposed the Bill which was unanimously rejected by the University of Belgrade. On the day the Bill was adopted, the police brutally dispersed demonstrations of students and professors in front of the Serbian Parliament. Several demonstrators were injured and at least ten persons were arrested. Attempted new gatherings of students were prevented by strong police forces. A group of professors has declered today that they are submitting an initiative to the Constitutional Court of Serbia to declare the Bill unconstitutional. The Vice - Prime Minister of Serbia Vojislav Seselj the leader of the ultra-right Serbian Radical Party declared in an interview that the Bill was necessary in order to cleanse the University which allegedly was dominated by disloyal elements. In particular, he mentioned the Faculty of Philosophy, which according to him was in the hands of the Soros Foundation and declared his intention to become member of the new Governing Board of the Faculty of Law. APPEAL TO THE SERBIAN PARLIAMENT FROM THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE l2TH ANNUAL EUROPEAN MEETINGS OF CULTURAL JOURNALS, CAEN, NORMANDY, FRANCE 11-15 1998 We, the participants of the l2th annual meeting of European cultural journals, vehemently oppose the Parliament of Serbia's recently adopted Law on Universities which is unparalleled in its harshness and exclusionist position in Europe, and whose final aim is to abolish academic intellectual freedom in Serbia. This law must be reconsidered. Considering the following facts: *On the day of adoption of the Law, May 26th 1998, employment ceased for all teachers and associates of the University. Re-hiring within the following two months is at the discretion of the Government, according to undefined criteria. *The new Chancellor of the University, as well as all the Deans of the individual Faculties are to be directly appointed by the Government of Serbia. Employees of the University will have absolutely no say even in proposing candidates, let alone electing them, what was previously in the jurisdiction of the University Senate. *Employment in the future will be based on the four-year contracts whose signing will be at the Deans discretion. The concept of tenure is abolished, even for full professors. Appeal against these decisions is possible to the Supervisory Board appointed by the same Government which appoints the Chancellor and the Deans. We ardently oppose these provisions, along with other articles of the Law providing for the Government interference and all forms of expulsion on political, ethnic, or administrative grounds, which amount to stifling of free thought at the universities of Serbia, and inevitably leads to a decline in teaching, intellectual and moral standards. We actively and openly support those teachers and associates of the University who are opposing the new Law. We believe that only with the help of international political, moral and legal pressure it is possible to convince the Government of Serbia to withdraw this Law, which represents the end of any kind of autonomy of the University. We demand the immediate and categorical re-examination of the new Law on Universities. Refusal to do so will oblige us individually and collectively to initiate increasingly visible public and media campaign in the international press in Europe and America. Signed on this day, 13 June 1998, by: Samuel ABRAHAM Kritica & Kontext, Bratislava, Slovaquie Marianne ALPHANT Revues parlees, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France David APPLEFIELD Frank, Montreuil, France Lothar BAIER ecrivain, Francfort, Allemagne Georges BLECHER ecrivain, New York, Itats-Unis John CALDER Editeur, Angeterre / France Claus CLAUSEN Hug!, Copenhague, Danemark Michele COLOMBO L'Animal, Metz, France Olivier CORPET La Revue des revues, Paris, France Daho DlERBAL Naqd, Algerie Jean-Michel ESPITALIER Java, Paris, France Walter FAMLER Wespennest, Vienne, Autriche Ghislaine GLASSON DESCHAUMES Transeuropeennes, Paris, France Christine GOEME France-Culture Martin HALA Revolver Revue, Prague, Republique Tcheque Joy HENDRY Chapman, Edimbourg, Ecosse Irina HOREA Lettre internationale, Bucarest, Roumanie David KARLSSON Ord & Bild, Goteborg, Suede Klaus NELLEN Transit, Vienne, Autriche Irina PROKHOROVA New Literary Review, Moscou, Russie Hans-Gotz OXENIUS Saarlouis, Allemagne Antonio RIBEIRO Revista critica de ciencas soetas, Coimbra, Portugal Roger ROTMANN Revues parlees, Centre Georges-Pompidou, Paris, France Benoit RUELLE Radio France International Christian SALMON Parlement international des ecrivains Obrad SAVIC Belgrade Circle, Belgrade, Serbie Lucile SCHMID Esprit, Paris, France William SCHUMAN L'Animal, Metz, France Pierre-Yves SOUCY Le Courrier du Centre international d'etudes poetiques, Bruxelles, Belgique Jani VIRK Literatura, Ljubljana, Slovenie Amin ZAOUI ecrivain, Algerie (en residence a Caen) Gaby ZIPFEL Mittelweg 36, Hambourg" Allemagne L'EQUIPE D'ENT'REVUES Andre CHABIAN Frangoise DUFOUMET Amal RENNE Michel RICHARD L'EQUIPE DE L'IMEC Yves CHEVREFILS-DESBIOLLES Albert DICHEY Catherine GIRARD Marie-AGNES MESNARD Emmanuel TARRIERE rencontres european europiennes meetings of des revues cultural culturelles journals 12me RENCONTRE, CAEN & PARIS, 12-I5 JUIN 1998