Syndicate: APPEAL FROM MEDIENHILFE - ACTION PLAN No.2

[arko peljhan <marxx@ljudmila.org>]

****APPEAL******

April 4, 1999

Urgent appeal to the Governments
Defend democracy!

The war in Kosov@ led to the expulsion of tens, even hundreds of
thousands human beings and to the
destruction of the whole region. Specially kosov@-albanian
intellectuals, activists of human rights organisations and independent
media are exposed to the rage of Serbian units without any protection.
They hardly find any alternative to escape if they want to survive this
war. Some successfully made their way to Albania, Macedonia or
Montenegro in the meantime, but many are still missing or still stay in
Pristina.

But also the opposition in Serbia is put under massive pressure by the
warfare. The regime of Slobodan
Milosevic uses the benefit of war-hours, to start a real hunt against
the opposition: independent media are being closed down, activists of
human rights and peace organisations are forcefully drafted for the
army. The aim is obvious: all civil, dissident-thinking shall be
silenced under the carpet of Nato-bombs.
Examples of this state repression we see in the persecution of Serbian
police against Veran Matic, editor in
chief of Belgrade Radio B92, and the replacement of Sascha Mirkovic,
director of B92, by a fellow of Milosevic.
The names of all people working at B92 were registered by police. Many
of them do not dare anymore to spend the night at home. Also the archive
of the Humanitarian Law Fund was confiscated. The director, Ms. Natascha
Kandic, was questioned by the police. The Fund has courageously
struggled in the last years against human rights violations in Kosov@
and prepared the needed documents for the war crimes tribunal in Den
Haag.

Even in Montenegro, where the democratic forces today still constitute
the legally elected government, we have to fear for the future of the
democratic forces. Should Milosevic succeed to overthrow the government
of Mr. Milo Djukanovic, also in Montenegro the hunting for
representatives of the democratic forces will start.

We are strongly convinced, that the repressed democratic, dissident
civic forces in Kosov@ and in
Serbia are the only guarantee for freedom, security and stability in the
Balkans. Only the consistent
support of these movements and the complete isolation of Milosevic and
other responsible war
mongers can on the longer run calm down the situation and lead to a
democratic solution of the
conflicts. Milosevic is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
This finally has to be accepted also
by the representatives of international politics and diplomacy. The
solution is: Consistent use of all
civil means to strengthen the civil forces struggling for human rights
and democracy all over the area.

We request
·       from the government of Switzerland and other countries, to open
up immediately the doors of their
embassies and consulates for representatives and activists of
independent media and dissident civic
organisations as women- and peace-groups, human rights organisations and
others. They have to be provided with diplomatic protection and if
needed with a secure exit out of their country.
·       the same protection for all men in the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia who try to escape the warfare of this regime and the forced
drafts by objection and resistance.
·       from the Swiss government specially to offer these people from
the Kosov@, from Serbia and eventually from Montenegro a permanent Round
Table in Switzerland, to allow the continuos work of civil resistance
movements against the Milosevic regime till the day they can go back and
go on with their work in security in their own country.

Roland Brunner, Medienhilfe Ex-Jugoslawien
Medienhilfe Ex-Jugoslawien, PO Box, CH 8031 Zurich, Switzerland.
Tel +41/ (0)1 / 272 46 37  Mobile +41/ (0)79/445 47 17 - Fax +41/ (0)1 /
272 46 82  -  Mail:
INFO@MEDIENHILFE.ch // http://www.medienhilfe.ch


******************************************************
Medienhilfe Ex-Jugoslawien, Postfach -  CH 8031 Zürich
Tel. +41 / (0)1 /272 46 37; Fax  +41 / (0)1 /272 46 82
info@medienhilfe.ch    ///   http://www.medienhilfe.ch


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