Stop the Political Arrests in Belgrade!

01/04/2003

Statement by Sloboda (Freedom Association)

Yesterday and today, several members of SLOBODA, SPS and YUL have been arrested. For some of them, home apartments and offices have been searched by the police. At least three of them have been kept in detention. After SLOBODA reacted today with the statement bellow and with a press conference, and some electronic media started quoting our position, the regime ordered all such reports to be stopped. Than, this evening, the police appeared with its statements, announcing that "Mira Markovic is in Russia" and informing that some comrades have been kept in detention. They gave no real explanation. In the case of Bogoljub Bjelica, chairman of SLOBODA they said "Continuing the investigation of the hardest crimes and collecting the evidence in order to arrest orderers, inspirers and assistants, the police arrested for questioning and kept in detention Bogoljub Bjelica, one of the closest associates of the former President of FRY Slobodan Milosevic". In the case of Uros Suvakovic and Goran Matic, the police stated that they´ve been kept "as closest political associates of Mira Markovic" due to suspicion that they are "in possession of information that can help the investigation" of the case of Ivan Stambolic, since, according to the statement of the police, Mira Markovic "is suspected to be involved in this murder".
So, we know that Belgrade US/NATO/Hague executioners keep illegally and with no ground nor charges:
1. Bogoljub Bjelica, President of SLOBODA/Freedom Association – Yugoslav Committee for the Defense of Slobodan Milosevic, Chairman of the Organizational-Political Committee of the President of SPS, former Deputy Federal Minister of Defense;
2. Uros Suvakovic, Member of the Board of SLOBODA/Freedom Association – Yugoslav Committee for the Defense of Slobodan Milosevic, Main Editor of the Theoretical Journal of SPS "SMISAO", former Assistant of the General Secretary of SPS;
3. Goran Matic, Vice-President of YUL, until recently Federal MP, former Federal Minister of Information.