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As protests mount, Serbia's hard line begins to soften
Dissident media back on the air
In this story:
December 5, 1996
Web posted at: 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT)BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- As street protests in Belgrade pick up steam, the Serbian government for the first time is showing signs of succumbing to the pressure.
Instead of ignoring or condemning the marches, officials Thursday began to distance themselves from their root cause: a decision ratified by the Supreme Court to overturn an opposition triumph in local elections last month.
With international condemnation of the move escalating along with the marches, Serbia's Deputy Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic deflected blame for the unrest.
"Courts, being a judiciary, are entirely independent of influence of anybody, be it political, be it administrative, be it party of any other political leaders," Jovanovic said.
B-92 broadcasts again
After cracking down on the press earlier this week, officials let independent news broadcasts from Belgrade's most popular station, Radio B-92, back on the air Thursday after two days of silence.
The student station Radio Index, another opposition media outlet that was switched off Tuesday, also returned to the air.
The small radio stations, together with a handful of independent publications, have offered the only coverage of street demonstrations that erupted after the election results were overturned.
State television, radio and newspapers have portrayed the wave of peaceful demonstrations as led by outlaws advocating "terrorism."
The easing of censorship follows a U.S. government decision to increase Voice of America programming that can be heard in Belgrade.
Calculated but risky
The latest government move is calculated but risky. It may reduce the level of international criticism on press freedom. But it might help protesters build their movement, a task they were continuing in the streets.
An estimated 100,000 marchers gathered again Thursday, depicting Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic as a thief who stole their votes and ignores their stand.
The protesters have grabbed attention and raised concern in Washington and Europe. But in Serbia both the government and the leaders of big business brush them aside as unrepresentative of the majority of people.
Too busy making money
Consider Lubomir Mihailovich, a Belgrade banker who dismisses the protesters as fun-seekers who aren't serious about overthrowing the government.
Though noise from the protests were audible from his plush offices in central Belgrade, Mihailovich expressed confidence the demonstrations would subside.
"They can't destabilize the country," he said. "They're just having fun, the workers aren't with them. I don't hear them. I don't see them. I'm too busy."
It's difficult for anyone in downtown Belgrade to ignore the protesters, who continue to limit their actions to generally non-violent and symbolic gestures. They threw paper airplanes at the offices of Belgrade TV and lit candles in memory of truth, which they claim was extinguished by the government.
It seems like good-natured dissent -- for now. But there's no way of telling how long it will last, or how it will end.
CNN Correspondent Brent Sadler and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Serbs silence 3rd radio station critical of Milosevic December 4, 1996
- Independent radio stations silenced in Yugoslavia - December 3, 1996
- U.S. warns Milosevic not to use force against protesters - December 3, 1996
- Anti-Milosevic protesters take to streets despite threats - December 2, 1996
- Belgrade protesters keep up campaign against Milosevic - November 30, 1996
- Students protest on streets of Belgrade - November 29, 1996
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