03. 12. 2005

JOURNALISTS THROWN OUT

VRANJE, December 3, 2005 – Journalists of local media in Vranje were once again attacked when they tried to report on the hunger strike of five members Nova Srbija political party. When the journalists came to overlook the beginning of the strike, the president of the Municipal Electoral Committee and Chief of municipal administration Miroslava Mladenovic ordered the security of the president to prevent them from reporting. Members of the local council of the Nova Srbija political party in Vranje, Radoslav Misirovic, Mario Durmanic, Dragisa Stojiljkovic, Negovan Tasic and Zvonko Alijevic have started their hunger strike in the City Hall, demanding from the municipal electoral committee to make necessary corrections of the instruction for collecting signatures for recall of the president of the municipality, Miroljub Stojcic and adjust it to other similar recall requests in Serbia. According to the instruction signed by the president Miroslava Mladenovic, the signature of each citizen who wants to support the initiative to recall the president of the municipality must be verified with the stamp of the Municipal Court or municipal administration. With the same decision, the Municipal Electoral Committee has annulled already collected 3.5 thousand signatures, out of a total of 6.250 signatures needed for the request to enter the procedure. Local council of the Nova Srbija heads the democratic block in Vranje, together with the Democratic Party, Movement for Vranje and Strength of Serbia Movement in their demand of dismissal of Stojicic. Journalists Sasa Stojkovic from local OK Radio and Goran Antic from Novine vranjske were literally thrown out of the room where the councilors were striking. OK radio and Novine Vranjske organized a press conference soon after the incident, demanding the protection of the profession and journalists. Five councilors of Nova Srbija in the Vranje Municipal Council ended the hunger strike after the agreement was reached between the president of the municipality and president of the local council of this political party.