Yougoslavia, Federal Rep.of
11.08.00
Urgent Interventions
Yougoslavia: harassment
URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
YUG 006 / 0008 / OBS 086
Harassment
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
11th August 2000.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a programme of FIDH and OMCT, requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia).
Brief description of the situation :
The Observatory has received information from The Association of Independent Electronic Media concerning the raid by financial police on 8th August 2000 of the premises of Belgrade's Centre for Cultural Decontamination.
According to the information received, the inspectors "temporarily" removed two computers, five system disks, eight video cassettes and mail as well as photocopying the office address book. These actions were explained as collecting evidence. The raid was conducted while most of the centre's staff were on summer vacation and only one employee, a lighting technician, was present, who related that the inspectors had behaved unpleasantly, asking who the centre worked for and what scale of salaries was paid to staff.
The Observatory recalls that a number of other NGOs, including Women in Black, Center for Antiwar Action, Forum for Ethnical Relations and the Helsinki Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights, were visited in June 2000 by the financial police, who checked their financial books and interrogated the NGOs’ staff about their activities (See case YUG 002 / 0006 / OBS 053).
The Observatory reiterates its belief that, in the context of an increased repression of human rights activists and democratic movements in Serbia and in view of the forthcoming September elections, this action constitutes a form of harassment which is proving itself to be systematic.
Furthermore, this constitutes a grave violation of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9th December 1998, and in particular of its Article 1 which mandates that « everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels ».
Action requested :
Please write to the authorities urging them to:
i. put an end to any kind of harassment against human rights NGOs and all defenders of democracy in the country, and ensure that they be allowed to carry out their work without obstacles;
ii. abide by the provisions of the Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders adopted on the 9th of December 1998, by the U.N. General Assembly (“Declaration on the right and responsibility of individuals, groups and organs of society to promote and protect universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms”), particularly, Article 1 (see above) and Article 6.c which mandates that « everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters ».
iii. more generally abide by the Universal declaration on Human Rights and Covenants and international Conventions ratified by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Addresses
The President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic. Fax: +38111636775 The Minister of the Interior. Fax +381113618366
Momir Bulatovic, Federal Prime Minister, Office of the Federal Prime Minister, Palace of Federation, Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia. Fax +38111637185
Geneva - Paris, 11th August 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken, quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency Line: Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel. : FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT : + 41 22 809 49 39
E-mail observatoire@iprolink.ch
YUG 006 / 0008 / OBS 086
Harassment
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
11th August 2000.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a programme of FIDH and OMCT, requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia).
Brief description of the situation :
The Observatory has received information from The Association of Independent Electronic Media concerning the raid by financial police on 8th August 2000 of the premises of Belgrade's Centre for Cultural Decontamination.
According to the information received, the inspectors "temporarily" removed two computers, five system disks, eight video cassettes and mail as well as photocopying the office address book. These actions were explained as collecting evidence. The raid was conducted while most of the centre's staff were on summer vacation and only one employee, a lighting technician, was present, who related that the inspectors had behaved unpleasantly, asking who the centre worked for and what scale of salaries was paid to staff.
The Observatory recalls that a number of other NGOs, including Women in Black, Center for Antiwar Action, Forum for Ethnical Relations and the Helsinki Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights, were visited in June 2000 by the financial police, who checked their financial books and interrogated the NGOs’ staff about their activities (See case YUG 002 / 0006 / OBS 053).
The Observatory reiterates its belief that, in the context of an increased repression of human rights activists and democratic movements in Serbia and in view of the forthcoming September elections, this action constitutes a form of harassment which is proving itself to be systematic.
Furthermore, this constitutes a grave violation of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9th December 1998, and in particular of its Article 1 which mandates that « everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels ».
Action requested :
Please write to the authorities urging them to:
i. put an end to any kind of harassment against human rights NGOs and all defenders of democracy in the country, and ensure that they be allowed to carry out their work without obstacles;
ii. abide by the provisions of the Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders adopted on the 9th of December 1998, by the U.N. General Assembly (“Declaration on the right and responsibility of individuals, groups and organs of society to promote and protect universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms”), particularly, Article 1 (see above) and Article 6.c which mandates that « everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters ».
iii. more generally abide by the Universal declaration on Human Rights and Covenants and international Conventions ratified by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Addresses
The President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic. Fax: +38111636775 The Minister of the Interior. Fax +381113618366
Momir Bulatovic, Federal Prime Minister, Office of the Federal Prime Minister, Palace of Federation, Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia. Fax +38111637185
Geneva - Paris, 11th August 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken, quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency Line: Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel. : FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT : + 41 22 809 49 39
E-mail observatoire@iprolink.ch