The Belgrade 6 charged with "international terrorism"

[Sasha]

The Belgrade 6 charged with "international terrorism"
Free the Belgrade 6! - 05.11.2009 13:51

Belgrade ASI yesterday informed the IWA sections, that the Belgrade 6 have now officialy been charged with "International terrorism" and their remand been extended by another –the third– month. This is terrible news and we must do all it can to suport our comrades. We hope there will be more detailed information within the next few days.

http://www.indymedia.nl/img/2009/11/63147.jpg


http://www.indymedia.nl/img/2009/11/63148.jpg

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The Belgrade 6 charged with "international terrorism"

The 6 anarcho-syndicalists from Belgrade, arrested and held in confinement since 5th
September last, are to be tried for international terrorism. They face 15 years in prison.
They are accused of being the authors of graffiti painted on the Greek embassy last 25th August, and of having thrown a petrol bomb which only damaged a window. The fact that the comrades deny that they had anything to do with these events clearly does not worry the Serbian State in its obsession to find someone guilty. Indeed, from Paris to Belgrade, the international police are all very much alike... They must have had the same instructors... So, the comrades are being charged with international terrorism. In the near future, this means they will remain incommunicado in jail for at leastseveral months.

Those comrades who are still free are trying to see if there is any way to appeal the decision. Further information will follow.

Meanwhile, the worst case scenario has now happened. The battle will be long and difficult and these comrades will need all our support.

Lawyers' fees will obviously be extremely high, so anyone who wishes to contribute financially to solidarity efforts can send a cheque made out to the CNT AIT, with the words "Solidarité Belgrade" on the back, to the following address:

CNT AIT
108 rue Damrémont
75018 PARIS

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You may find updates on the situation most propably at http://www.indymedia.nl/images/extlink.gif http://asi.zsp.net.pl/ (eng)
http://www.indymedia.nl/images/extlink.gif http://asi.zsp.net.pl/category/nederlands/ (nl)

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ABOUT THE CASE

On Saturday, Sept. 4, five* political activists were arrested in Belgrade on trumped up charges. The five, Tadej Kurepa, Ivan Vuloviæ, Sanja Dojkiæ, Ratibor Trivunac and Nikola Mitrovic, are activists in or associates of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative, the Serbian section of the International Workers’ Association (IWA). (* The sixth person sought by police, Ivan Savic, was also arrested some days later.)

The arrests are allegedly related to a direct action which took place at the Greek Embassy on Aug. 25. Negligible damage was done; a crack in one window, a tiny burn mark on the facade and a circled A graffiti on the embassy as a act of symbolic solidarity with Thodoros Iliopoulos. The prosecutor however imagines this as an act of “international terrorism” and would like to charge our comrades with such. If the state allows such charges to be pressed, they could be facing 3-15 years in prison.

As of today (Oct.11), no charges have been pressed yet against the comrades. Yet they have been in remand over one month and may be kept as long as six months still without charges. In the meanwhile, they are not allowed contact with the outside world.

In the first week of Oct., the prosecutor asked the judge for permission to keep the Belgrade six locked up for 2 more months during the investigative phase. The judge agreed to one more month. It is not clear whether this may be extended. Charges must be pressed within 7 days of closing the investigation but it is not clear when this should happen.

Members of ASI have clearly and publically declared that they knew nothing of the action, which was claimed by a group nobody has heard of, Crni Ilja.

It is quite clear that the main reason the activists from ASI have been arrested in political. In addition, we may see that the government is quite hypocritical and selective about who they repress; as members of ASI pointed out, when a much more serious incident occurred at the American Embassy a year earlier, the government did not bother to start a campaign of repression.

Since the arrest of the comrades, protests have taken play in many parts of the world. Thousands of people have sent letters of protest to the Serbian government. Everybody is united in demanding their release.

Please send us information about your demos, protests or articles on the case!

FREE THE BELGRADE SIX NOW!

ADDRESSES OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA:
http://www.indymedia.nl/images/extlink.gif http://www.mfa.gov.rs/Worldframe.htm

[bricolage]

Absolute sham.

[rebelmouse]

they didn't loose only freedom, they are very possible attacked by other prisoners and pushed to work whole days. political unfit people are everywhere in focus of authority and they find prisoners who will cooperate with authorities against political unfit people. beside very violent prisoners, they met themselves with middle age custody in Belgrade. I was there 2 months, so I know what I speak. living conditions are like before 100 years, and authorities push together 14 people in 6x5m cells. there is no warm water to wash dishes, door from toilet is full of holes and you must push water during shit is still flying down, in other case, whole cell will stink. shower is 2x per week, from 2005, I was there in 2004 and shower was one time per week.
there is the rule that every knew person is pushed to work, but when new person come, former one get "better job", for example washing of dishes instead of cleaning of toilet and cell. but I don't think that political unfit people will get better position/job in cell, administration will take care that our comrades never forget prison. the aim of such torture is to make fear in order that people never again brake the law. I remember when one prisoner said: when I go out, I will never do anything criminal any more. second one ate nails from the wall in order to finish in hospital and to escape from torture in that way. but prison guard didn't give a shit if he ate it, they brought him to doctor after one or two days.
that is situation in which are living our comrades already two months and I think they are in hell. only Turkish prisons are worst than Serbian ones, in whole Europe.

[Bandito]

That "international terrorism" thing is very dangerous, not just for them.
If this accusation passes, it will mean not just jail time for those guys(which I know personally and all of them are good comrades, despite our political differences).
It will mean that attack on every foreign subject will be calculated as "international terrorism". That narrows the field where leftists in general can operate.
For example, the attack on NATO subjects will be seen as international terrorism.

The which hunt to equal right-wing and left-wing extremism continues. First, there were fascists getting penalties larger than those written by the law. But, normally, none of us objected that. Later actions of serbian political elites were inputs that left-wing is not any better than right-wing, and this is just one of the actions that follow that tendency. Zizek explained very well why those two can never be equal, but serbian government does not read Zizek, they are just securing their postion in power.

When you have a leather chair, who cares about six students?

[Stranger Than Paradise]

This is a farce. Utter farce.

Justice for the Belgrade 6.

[Искра]

They won't be in prison but in detention.

I'm in contact with comrades. I hope I'll be able to upload more infos soon.
ASI had meeting yesterdays, so there will be more infos ;)

[Red Label]

Solidarity Comrades

[Mather]

Are there any demos or solidarity actions planned for this in the UK?

[bricolage]

Are there any demos or solidarity actions planned for this in the UK?

Your best bet is to put on some sort of fundraising event, last time I checked they were still strapped for money for legal costs.

[Andrei Kuznetsov]

Our brothers and sister must be free! I'll spread the message further.

[Bandito]

We recieved the news that one of the arrested anarchist, our friend, Tadej Kurepa, has been beat up and blackmailed by some inmates in Belgrade Central Prison.


Belgrade - One of six anarchists who in Central Prison awaiting trial on
indictment for international terrorism, sustained during December
blackmail and physical abuse.

In mid-December 2009, some of the prisoners who shared a cell in the
Belgrade Central Prison with Tadej Kurepa (25) tortured him and tried to
blackmail him, demanding from him that his mother give 2,000 eurosto a
'friend outside', for allegedly urgent treatment of AIDS, learned B92.net.

In late December, the attorney of Tadej Kurepa, Nikola Barovic, at visit
in the prison, he found a client with a bruises on his face. Intervention
of lawyers, Kurepa was transferred to another cell.

Otherwise, Tadej Kurepa is in place of the second person accused for
international terrorism, although the indictment alleges that he was not
on the spot, when the night of 25 august Greek embassy in Belgrade was hit
with 2 molotov coctails.

The police, except Kurepa, arrested and Ivan Vulovic (24), Sanja
Dojkić (19), Ivan Savic (25), Ratibor Trivunac (28) and Nikola
Mitrovic (29).

According to the statement of "Campaigns against political repression,"
coordinated by left-wing activist organizations, Kurepa is in place for
the second accused because of "organized communication by phone and
SMS's', which is, in the opinion of the public prosecutor, on the second
most responsibility position for the execution of the crime -
international terrorism. "

"How much this act, for which is Tadej Kurepa second accused, has links
with international terrorism, says the fact that the 'terrorist attack',
in which the prosecutor and Kurepa say that Kurepa was not involved,
nobody was injured and material damage at embassy was estimated 18 euros",
the statement said.

Because of 'organized a phone and SMS communication' Tadej Kurepa is
already the fifth month in the investigation of the Central Prison in
Belgrade, pending the trial, he was not allowed to defend himself from
outside of prison, under excuse of fear that arrested will again "organize
communication by phone and SMS", said the Campaign against political
repression.

At the same time, the Group for monitoring the process against six
anarchists strongly condemns violence which detained anarchists suffer in
the months of detention. The aim of the Group, consisting of individuals,
and individuals from different anti-autoritarian, left, and student
organizations, is that the public regularly get information regarding the
political process and to dismiss the indictment for international
terrorism.

Grupa za monitoring je organizovala potpisivanje proglasa , u kojem više
desetina javnih ličnosti proces protiv šestoro anarhista naziva
političkim i traži odbacivanje optužbe o "međunarodnom
terorizmu". The Monitoring Group has organized the signing of
proclamations, in which dozens of public figures named the process against
six anarchists as political and requires rejection of allegations of
"international terrorism".

At January 3, the Monitoring Group hold a protest in front of the Ministry
of Justice and the Central Prison, and there will be more protests in the
future.

[The Ungovernable Farce]

Shit. Really terrible news, but thanks for sharing it.