**Updates IFEX alert of 18 January 1999** (WiPC/IFEX) – On 10 June 2000, writer Boban Miletic (who writes in the name of Boban Bapsi) was sentenced to five months in prison for defamation of President Slobodan Milosevic. International PEN strongly protests the sentence, considering it to be a blatant attack upon the right to freedom […]
**Updates IFEX alert of 18 January 1999**
(WiPC/IFEX) – On 10 June 2000, writer Boban Miletic (who writes in the name of Boban Bapsi) was sentenced to five months in prison for defamation of President Slobodan Milosevic. International PEN strongly protests the sentence, considering it to be a blatant attack upon the right to freedom of expression.
The case started eighteen months ago, on 18 December 1998, at a literary evening in the town of Knjazevac, south eastern Serbia, approximately 150 km from Belgrade. At this event, Miletic gave readings from his book of aphorisms entitled “Weep, Mother Serbia”, and during the reading handed out around seventy copies of his book.
A month later, on 15 January 1999, Miletic was arrested under Article 157 of the Penal Code for “exposing the State and the president to ridicule” and ordered to serve a twenty-day detention order. All unsold copies of his book were seized and remain banned.
The “offensive” quotes made by Miletic at the literary evening included: “Milosecscu, youâll end up like Ceausescu” and “Leader climb to the top of Beogradjanka and take a step. It would be a small step for you but a great step for Serbia!” The defence lawyers point out that during the trial, which was held at the Zajecar District Court over four sessions starting from 28 December, none of the fourteen witnesses called by both prosecuting and defence lawyers who had been present at the literary evening were able to confirm that any of the aphorisms read out by Miletic directly defamed the president. The defence also argues that distribution of the book, published in May 1997, at the meeting was not an offence as the book itself was not banned at that time.
Prosecutor Dusan Djuric counter-argued that none of the witnesses had been able to confirm that Miletic had not defamed President Milosevic. The argument that the president had not been mentioned by name was dismissed and the fact that the aphorisms that had been read out contained such words as “leader”, “comrade”, “Milosescu”, “Sloba” and “most abnormal”.
Miletic (“Bapsi”) has been ordered to enter prison within the next few days. His defence team is appealing against the sentence. Meanwhile, Serbian writers have issued strong protests against the sentence. The satiristsâ chapter of the Serbian Writersâ Union describes the verdict as “outrageous” and a reversal to Communist practices. The Serbian PEN Centre has condemned the trial as a “blatant and arrogant threat to all freedom of thought in Serbia” adding that “Since time immemorial, satire and caricature has always ridiculed and mocked the powerful and this could never be prohibited anywhere, just as one cannot prohibit the rain from falling”.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
- protesting the sentence against Miletic as a blatant attack upon the right to freedom of expression as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- referring to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expressionâs recommendations that government bodies should not be able to bring defamation suits, and specifically the “principle that public figures are required to tolerate a greater degree of criticism than private citizens”
- urging that in light of these concerns, Miletic not be required to serve a prison term
Appeals To
President Slobodan Milosevic
Bulevar Mihaila Pupina 2
11070 Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Fax: +381 11 636 77 55
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
