Subject: Information Bulletin (Universities) - BCHR
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 13:11:43 +0100
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
Bulletin No. 15 (Universities) - BCHR
In the shadow of the Kosovo crisis and amidst repression of the independent media the harassment of the teaching staff at the University of Belgrade continues
Threats of military intervention against Yugoslavia because of non-compliance of its Government with the Security Council Resolution 1199 was translated by government media into a pervasive atmosphere of fear, lynch and xenophobia. Independent media were singled out as responsible for panic and defeatism and branded as traitors. The verbal harangue led by members of the Serbian Government, in particular by deputy prime ministers Vojislav Seselj and Milovan Bojic, was soon translated into legal acts severely limiting the freedom of expression in Serbia. A Government Decree, declaring as punishable offences a number of vaguely defined actions, such as "not supporting the defence efforts of the country", "acting contrary to the conclusions of the National Assembly", and "spreading panic and defeatism", was used to close three Belgrade dailies and two radio stations in Serbia. This Decree was reinforced and superseded by the deputies of the ruling coalition in the Serbian Parliament, who pushed in a day the adop
tion of a new Public Information Act, which makes it possible for ordinary magistrates to impose heavy fines for similar broadly defined misdemeanours.
The new Act was published in the Official Gazette of 21 October and was immediately and retroactively applied by a Belgrade magistrate on 23 October. Acting on the basis of a Report of a phantom vigilante organisation (the "Patriotic league of Belgrade"), and after 24 hours of hearings and deliberation, the magistrate imposed a fine of approximately 250.000 US dollars to the publishers and editors of the Belgrade weekly news magazine "Evropljanin" ("The European"), which had been published on 19 October, before the new Act came into force. More on the repression of the media at http://www.opennet.org
The Government and the deans it appointed have continued to harass professors of the University of Belgrade, now in the hope that media able to report on such actions would be fewer, intimidated by censorship and preoccupied with matters of international security At the Faculty of Philology, teachers who have refused to sign new contracts under the University Act are still kept in a limbo, i.e. instructed to appear for work every day at the non-existent research unit. Their Dean, prof Marojevic, has so far failed to find adequate replacements for all members of the Department of General Literature and Theory of Literature, who as "non-signers" are not allowed to teach any more. As a result, the commencement of teaching at this Department was delayed sine die. Students of this Department are boycotting other lectures and appealing to other students of the Faculty to join in the general boycott. At a rally, held on 23 October, such a decision was adopted. The new Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering,
Vlada Teodosic, was in charge of dramatic and scandalous events occurring the building of that School on and after 22 October. He interpreted a statement by the Serbian Minister of Education Jovo Todorovic to the effect that teachers who have not signed new contracts would not be dismissed immediately, but would not be allowed to teach, as a signal for an oral ban on the appearance before students of non-conforming faculty members. Professors Borivoje Lazic (former Dean of the Faculty), Slavoljub Marjanovic, Milenko Cvetinovic, Jovan Radunovic and Branko Popovic were unceremoniously thrown out of the lecture rooms by plainclothes thugs belonging to a private security agency. They continued their lectures at the street in front of the Faculty building, followed by their students. Professor Branko Popovic is a Member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and a scholar of international renown. The Student Union of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering called for a boycott of the lectures of the 19 lecture
rs having refused to sign new contracts, if they are replaced by instructors hired from elsewhere.
The ominous presence of private security agents at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering presents another similarity with the crackdown on the media. Namely, the sealed premises of the banned Belgrade newspapers have also been guarded by employees of a private security firm. The suspended teachers of the Faculty of Law are receiving drastically reduced salaries while expecting hearings by the newly appointed Vice Dean Zagorka Jekic for various offences, including, "making statements to the press detrimental to the reputation of the Faculty". Professor Dragor Hiber, who had been fired by the new Dean, appealed to the First Municipal Court of Belgrade and received a preliminary hearing. The attorney for the Faculty objected to an injunction for temporary reinstatement, alleging that Hiber would "abuse his teaching post for political activity". The counsel for the Faculty comes from the law firm of Mrs Adela Antic, wife of the Dean of the Faculty, Oliver Antic.
bgcentar@eunet.yu
bgcentar@opennet.org
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