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Belgrade protesters resume marches after comrade's funeral

December 28, 1996
Web posted at: 1:00 p.m. EST 1800 GMT)

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- Defying a police ban, thousands of Serbian opposition supporters took to Belgrade streets Saturday following the funeral of the first person to die during anti-government demonstrations.

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Police created a human chain of 100 officers across Revolution Boulevard, which leads into the city center, to try to block thousands of demonstrators advancing on them in driving snow.

Demonstrators chanted "Slobo murderer" after a leader of the Zajedno (Together) anti-government coalition accused riot police loyal to President Slobodan Milosevic of causing the Christmas Eve death of Predrag Starcevic.

Opposition leaders had called off daily demonstrations Saturday and instead urged supporters to attend Starcevic's funeral. The protests began after Milosevic's refusal to accept his party's defeat by Zajedno in Belgrade and 14 of Serbia's biggest towns in municipal elections on November 17.

At least 10,000 mourners attended the funeral at Belgrade's Novo Groblje cemetery. The three opposition leaders -- Vuk Draskovic , Zoran Djindjic and Vesna Pesic -- walked slowly behind the black hearse, along with Starcevic's widow, 10 Orthodox priests bearing lighted candles and 50 mourners carrying wreaths. At the front of the procession was a wooden cross and the victim's portrait.

Mode of death unclear

Accounts of how Starcevic died vary. According to Draskovic's SPO party, Starcevic was trampled to death in a stampede by opposition activists fleeing riot police. According to another report, when Starcevic was admitted to the hospital he claimed he had been beaten by Milosevic supporters.

After the funeral, mourners resumed their street demonstrations. Police banned street marches after the rioting Tuesday when anti-government activists clashed with supporters of Milosevic's Socialist party (SPS) and security forces.

Milosevic asked to show restraint

International pressure was mounting on Milosevic to accept the findings of an international delegation that determined his Socialist party lost the local elections.

The European Union issued a statement saying Serbian authorities must accept the findings that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe issued Friday.

The statement suggested that economic sanctions were an option if Milosevic's government refuses to comply with the findings.

Serbia welcomed the review by the OSCE, an organization representing 54 nations from North America, Europe and the former Soviet Union, but has neither embraced nor rejected its findings.

Yugoslavian Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic called the report "well-intentioned," "balanced" and "constructive," according to Serbia's official Tanjug news agency. But he later told reporters the OSCE mission "got some things mixed up" in saying the opposition won Belgrade and said that "all problems should be solved with our system."

Carl Bildt, the Bosnia peace coordinator, also called on Milosevic to recognize the OSCE findings and urged the Serbian government to exercise restraint in dealing with the protesters.

"I am deeply disturbed by reports of violence in reaction to these demonstrations in recent days," Bildt said in a statement issued from London.

Several dozen people were injured Friday when riot police clubbed protesters who demanded that the government accept the OSCE findings.

"They beat mercilessly," said Rajko Zivkovic, 60. " They did not ask anything, just clubbed the people."

 
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