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OSCE Chairperson-in-Office condemns sentencing of Yugoslav opposition party official
VIENNA 4 August 2000
VIENNA, 4 August 2000 - The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Austria Benita Ferrero-Waldner, condemns the recent sentencing of Cedomir Jovanovic, the head of the Yugoslav Democratic Party election headquarters, which together with the judgement against Miroslav Filipovic marks yet another escalation in the repression of freedom of speech in Serbia. The verdict was passed on charges from the Serbian Deputy Minister of Information, for texts that appeared in the civil protest bulletin Promene during last year's demonstrations organised by the Alliance for Change.
The Chairperson-in-Office notes that the Promene, edited by Jovanovic and printed by ABC Grafika, has been among the most frequent targets of Serbia's repressive Public Information Act.
The Chairperson-in-Office reiterates her deep concern about the permanent abuse of the Serbian legal system for the suppression of political opponents and calls on the competent bodies to reconsider the verdicts against Jovanovic and Filipovic as well as other Serbian journalists and representatives of civil society.
For further information contact the Press and Public Information Section of the OSCE Secretariat, tel.: (+ 43-1) 514 36 180 or e-mail: info@osce.org
The Chairperson-in-Office notes that the Promene, edited by Jovanovic and printed by ABC Grafika, has been among the most frequent targets of Serbia's repressive Public Information Act.
The Chairperson-in-Office reiterates her deep concern about the permanent abuse of the Serbian legal system for the suppression of political opponents and calls on the competent bodies to reconsider the verdicts against Jovanovic and Filipovic as well as other Serbian journalists and representatives of civil society.
For further information contact the Press and Public Information Section of the OSCE Secretariat, tel.: (+ 43-1) 514 36 180 or e-mail: info@osce.org