Protest (fwd)
Veran Matic (matic@b92.opennet.org)
Fri, 31 May 1996 13:17:17 +0100 (GMT+0100)
Forwarded message:
> From ccmail.cpj.org!aonion Thu May 30 21:20:21 1996
> Date: Thu, 30 May 96 15:04:52 EST
> From: "Amanda Onion" <aonion@ccmail.cpj.org>
> Message-Id: <9604308334.AA833494328@ccmail.cpj.org>
> To: matic@b92.opennet.org
> Subject: Protest
>
> SENT BY FAX
> May 30, 1996
>
> His Excellency Slobodan Milosevic
> President of the Republic of Serbia
> Fax: +381-11-656-862
>
> Mr. Aleksandre Tijanic
> Minister of Information
> Republic of Serbia
> Fax: +381-11-685-937
>
> His Excellency Zoran Lilic
> President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Fax: +381-11-656-862
>
> Mr. Dragutin Brein
> Federal Minister of Information
> Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
> Fax: +381-11-600-446
>
> Your Excellency,
>
> The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to express its
> grave concern about today's take-over of the independent radio
> station, Radio Smederevo in the industrial town of Smederevo, 25 miles
> southeast of Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
>
> According to the executive director of the Association of Indepedent
> Electronic Media in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Veran Matic, the
> Municipality of Smederevo voted unaminously yesterday evening to
> increase Municipality ownership of Radio Smederevo from 17 to 63
> percent. With majority ownership, the Municipality immediately
> installed members of the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) as the
> new manager and executive board for the radio station. This morning
> the new manager and executive board members entered Radio Smederevo's
> offices and commenced the take-over. Electricity was cut off at the
> station's offices to ensure the success of the take-over. According to
> Matic, today's broadcast was the last to be produced by the original
> staff of Radio Smederevo; tommorrow the newly-installed staff will
> begin controlling production. Radio Smederevo was the only independent
> electronic medium in the region. As elections near this fall, the
> take-over ensures that no independent broadcast coverage is permitted
> in this region.
>
> Last February NTV Studio B, the only independent television station in
> Belgrade, was taken over by similar means by Serbian authorities. To
> date, NTV Studio B is still run by members of the ruling SPS.
>
> As a nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom
> around the world, CPJ considers the take-over of Radio Smederevo a
> serious violation of press freedom. We respectfully urge Your
> Excellency to reinstate the original staff and board at Radio
> Smederevo and restore the station's indepedence.
>
> Thank you for your attention. We welcome your comments.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> William A. Orme, Jr.
> Executive Director
>
> cc:
> Ambassador Zoren Popovic
> Ambassador Dragomir Djokic
> Soros Foundation, Belgrade, Yugoslavia UNPROFOR, Belgrade
> UNESCO
> American Society of Newspaper Editors Amnesty International
> Article 19 (United Kingdom)
> Artikel 19 (The Netherlands)
> Canadian Committee To Protect Journalists
> Congressional Committee to Support Writers and Journalists Freedom
> House
> Human Rights Watch
> Index on Censorship
> International Association of Broadcasting International Federation of
> Journalists International Federation of Newspaper Publishers
> International Journalism Institute
> International PEN
> International Press Institute
> National Association of Newspapers
> National Press Club
> The Newspaper Guild
> North American National Broadcasters Association Reporters sans
> Frontieres
> Overseas Press Club
> The Society of Professional Journalists World Press Freedom Committee
>
>
--
Veran Matic, Editor in Chief tel: +381-11-322-9922
Radio B92, Belgrade, Yugoslavia fax: +381-11-324-8075
Radio B92 Official Web Site --- http://www.opennet.org/