BACKGROUND

On November 17, 1996, municipal elections were held throughout the two republics left in the Yugoslav federation, Serbia and Montenegro. Unexpectedly, the coalition Zajedno, composed of three opposition parties, was victorious in fourteen of Serbia's nineteen largest cities. Following Zajedno's victory, the government-controlled central election commission declared that there had been what it called "unspecified irregularities" in those areas where the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) had lost and refused to recognize the electoral results.

Shortly thereafter, demonstrators took to the streets of Belgrade and other Serbian cities to demand that the government respect the outcome of the vote. The government refused, even though a delegation from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) confirmed the opposition's victory. The peaceful and creative demonstrations continued to take place every day despite the cold weather, gradually growing in size and strength. Two groups of demonstrators, one led by the Zajedno coalition (comprised of the Serbian Renewal Movement, the Democratic Party and the Civic Alliance), and one led by the students of Serbian universities, held daily marches for eighty-eight consecutive days that became increasingly directed against the ruling SPS and then-Serbian President Slobodon Milo_evi_.1 Specifically, the demonstrators demanded respect for the free vote, media freedom and political pluralism in Serbia.

The government deployed heavy police forces but tolerated the daily demonstrations for the first five weeks. Then, on December 24, the government organized a "For Serbia" rally in support of President Milo_evi_ by bussing in thousands of supporters from the countryside into Belgrade. Violent clashes between government supporters and opponents resulted in numerous injuries and one death. Two days later, the police disallowed the street demonstrations in order to prevent the "blocking of traffic," even though it had tolerated traffic disruptions for the previous five weeks.

Beginning December 26, the government used violence and arrests to silence the demonstrators. Especially at the end of December and again in the beginning of February, hundreds of peaceful demonstrators were beaten by the police or special riot forces, some of them seriously, although random incidents of police violence also took place at other times. Clearly identifiable journalists were sometimes targeted by the police. From late December to February, at least fifty people were arrested and convicted on charges of "destroying state property" or "disturbing the peace" in trials that did not comport with international standards.

At the same time, the Serbian government took steps to prevent the public from finding out about the demonstrations. The state-run television and radio - the main source of information for those outside of Belgrade - for the most part ignored the events in the streets. When indirect mention was made, the state-run media gravely distorted the causes and degree of public discontent and labeled the demonstrators "hoodlums" and "vandals." Meanwhile, the government made deliberate efforts to silence independent media outlets.

On December 3, the government ordered Serbia's two main independent radio stations, Radio B-92 and Radio Index, to close because they did not possess the proper broadcasting license. The stations reopened after substantial international pressure, but a number of smaller independent stations remained closed. At the same time, the government harassed the independent print media by limiting print runs and restricting newsprint supplies.

The relentless public protest and substantial international pressure finally forced the government to recognize the opposition's victory on February 22, 1997. The Zajedno coalition stopped its demonstrations soon thereafter but the students continued their daily marches for another month until the rector of the Belgrade University resigned. To this day, no one has been held accountable for the human rights abuses that occurred during the elections or the ensuing demonstrations. At least sixty criminal charges have been filed in Serbian courts by individuals or human rights organizations against Belgrade policemen for using excessive force against demonstrators or journalists, but the state prosecutor has failed to begin any legal procedures. In addition, the state has continued its harassment of the independent media by temporarily closing down a large number of independent television and radio stations, especially as the September 1997 elections approached.

Ten opposition parties, including two former members of the Zajedno coalition (the Democratic Party and the Civic Alliance), are boycotting the September 21 elections due to the state's control of the media and what the opposition considers a discriminatory electoral law.2 The third Zajedno partner, Vuk Draskovi_'s Serbian Renewal Movement, will participate with Draskovi_ as the candidate for president. The elections will be monitored by the the OSCE.