10. Juni 1999

ACTION ALERT - FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA

10 June 1999

Newspaper seized

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF is protesting the seizure of the independent newspaper "Nezavisne Novine", published in the Serbian Republic of Bosnia.

On 9 June 1999, the daily and weekly Serbian editions of "Nezavisne Novine", a newspaper which is close to the government of Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, were seized at the border by Serbian police. The next day, copies of the daily edition were seized once again. According to Gradisa Katic, the editor-in-chief of "Nezavisne Novine", "the chief reason [for the seizure] is that our newspaper quotes a number of politicians who stated that the Belgrade regime was going to surrender." The newspaper has often included columns written by Serbian opponents to the regime of Slobodan Milosevic.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to the interior minister:
- protesting the prevention of the delivery of "Nezavisne Novine"
- asking him to ensure the unrestricted distribution of the newspaper in Serbia

APPEALS TO:

Mr. Vlajko Stojiljkovic
Minister of the Interior of Serbia
Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Fax: +381 11 683 041
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact Alexandre Lévy or Ludovic Brun at RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: europe@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org (fixed 3.4.2003)

The information contained in this action alert is the sole responsibility of RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.

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