Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Serbia
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1.
6.
2010.
Implementation of Transitional Laws in Serbia (2009)
"Implementation of Transitional Laws in Serbia" (2009) report resulted from monitoring implementation of the Anti-Discrimination Law, the Law on Churches and Religious Communities and provisions of the Public Information Act which prohibit hate speech.
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12.
5.
2010.
Guide Through the Institution of Ombudsman
A guide through the insitution of Ombudsman, released in 2009.
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19.
4.
2010.
Media in Serbia on RTS bombing
In the early nineties of the 20th century the former Yugoslavia, as one of the rare communist countries in Eastern Europe which was not a part of the Soviet Bloc, attempts to enter a phase of democratization and liberalization. However, certain republics, members of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), assume nationalism as the ideology which was to replace communism. Rise in interethnic tensions and aggression of the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) against Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia, followed by raids carried out by the Serbian Army in Kosovo, led to wars resulting in high number of casualties among civilian population. In the time of peace, civic freedoms become an integral part of reforms in each of the republics, now sovereign states of the former SFRY. Single-party political system was replaced by the multi-party one, but in each republic it was still dominated by large political parties. Constitutional reform in Serbia began in January, 1988, and was completed on March 28, 1989. Constitutional amendments IX-XLIX were promulgated. The day of promulgation of the new constitution was designated as the day when Serbia was returned its statehood and constitutional sovereignty on its entire territory.1 In 1990. the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) was founded in Serbia, helmed by Slobodan Milošević. The fi rst multy-party elections for the National Parliament since WW II were held on December 9 and 23, 1990. The Socialist Party of Serbia won 194 mandates of the total of 250.2 This party had the absolute majority. Simultaneously with elections for MPs, National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia also announced elections for the President of Serbia. The elections were held on December 9, 1990, and Slobodan Milošević was elected the President of Serbia.3 In addition to the political system, the media picture in Serbia was also changed. The fi rst independent radio and TV stations, as well as independent press, started emerging. By mid 1994. the number of independent radio and TV stations rose to 80.4 Unlike the independent media, the state television – Radio Television Serbia (from hereon referred to as RTS) had the coverage over almost the entire territory of Serbia. It was an effi cient media instrument for propaganda implemented by the SPS and its affi liate parties. Previously autonomous provinces within the Republic of Serbia, Vojvodina and Kosovo were abolished in 1989, pursuant to a decision made by the Serbian Parliament5, two years after Slobodan Milošević’s rise to power. The abolishment of the provinces’ autonomy results in escalation of confl icts in Kosovo between Albanians and Serb police. Parallel institutions emerge in Kosovo, Albanian and Serbian ones. Such a state continues throughout the fi nal decade of the 20th century. In spite of wars waged on the territory of former Yugoslavia, there were no major armed confl icts in Kosovo until 1998. Tensions between Albanians and Serbs culminated in the second half of the 1990s. Due to enhanced pressure exercised by the Serb police during the 1990s, Kosovo Albanians establish the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Armed confl icts unfold into war. Violation of human rights in Kosovo by Serb forces was the cause for aerial NATO intervention against FR Yugoslavia. It was launched without a United Nations’ Security Council resolution. NATO military intervention in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was launched on March 24, 1999, and continued through June 10, 1999. This was NATO’s second intervention since its establishment in 1949.6 Its fi rst military intervention was carried out against Bosnian Serbs during the war in Bosnia. During NATO’s aerial raids, a comprehensive campaign of violence, carried out by forces controlled by the FRY authorities and Serbia, was targeting civilians – Kosovo Albanians: killings, sexual abuse and premeditated destruction of mosques. The violence resulted in the exodus of at least 700,000 Kosovo Albanians from Kosovo between late March and early June of 1999. 7 NATO raids on FR Yugoslavia lasted for 78 days. NATO planes targeted military and civilian objects in the country, as well as media stations and repeaters, at the time mainly serving the regime of Slobodan Milošević. NATO intervention was an epilogue to the Serb-Albanian confl ict in Kosovo, and was ended by the act of signing the “Kumanovo Agreement”, i.e. military-technical agreement between the Yugoslav Army and NATO.8 FR Yugoslavia lost its territorial sovereignty over Kosovo by pulling out its army and police. This put an end to the Serb-Albanian armed confl ict which lasted between February 1998 and June 1999.9 The media played major role in creating and waging wars on the territory of former Yugoslavia. However, upon the institution of peace they remained a stronghold of the SPS. The RTS, as the most powerful reporting outlet, shall serve the ruling party until the changes that took place on October 5, 2000. The entire fi nal decade of the 20th century in Serbia’s media sphere was marked by the struggle for independent and fair reporting.
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18.
4.
2010.
Implementation of Transitional Laws in Serbia 2007
A yearly report on implementation of transitional laws in Serbia, for 2007.
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15.
4.
2010.
Minority and elections (2007)
A report on status of national minorities in parliamentary election campaign 2007.
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