Syndicate: FW: new University law in Serbia

[Andreas Broeckmann <abroeck@v2.nl>]

> Dear friends,
>
> I am sending you few documents concerning the new university law, its
> application and our fight against it.
>
> I suppose that some of you have already been informed through the press,
> what is the essence of new university law in Yugoslavia.
> It stops all autonomy - everything is under control- who is going to be
> accepted from assistant to professor is to be decided by dean only,
> without
> any consultation of collegium of professors - the only consultation is
> with Government, or party authorities...
>
> We, the professors of Belgrade University and Belgrade University of Arts,
> keep the protest activities going throughout the summer. The main organism
> is still: University Committee for the Defense of Democracy, established
> in
> December 1996 during the University and Citizens protest. But, We have
> formed also now: Association of professors and researchers of Yugoslavia
> (we have been refused registration as association in Serbia, so we had to
> ask the Federal level...) and we are trying to prevent this new "reforms"
> specifically introduced by the Deans nominated by extreme right party
> (Dean
> R. Marojevic - Philological Faculty, and V. teodosic - Faculty of
> Electroingeenering). (I suppose that you know that now we have red and
> black coalition on power, extreme left party Yul of Milosevic wife,
> extreme right party - Seselj radicals, and Milosevic socialist party.)
>
> Anyway, instead of reading, writing, making research, we are still
> occupied
> with essential fight for basic democracy and little spaces for freedom we
> used to have even in previous socialist times - but now we are in real
> communism - who knows in what...
>
> best regards
>
> Milena
>
> P.S.
>
> I know that you all are on vacations, but, maybe, someone is going to look
> the mail to see what is happening somewhere in the world.. And if you have
> time, make some short protest letters like those I am sending to you -
> Prof. Dr Klaus Lamfried, from rectoral Conference...
>
		THE BELGRADE CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Mlati{umina 26/I, 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Tel./Fax. +381 11 - 432 572, 344 1203
E-mail: bgcentar@EUnet.yu



INFORMATION BULLETIN
Special Edition No. 7						8 June 1998



Sixteen law professors refuse to sign "a declaration of loyalty" to the
Government


Sixteen eminent professors of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law
declared that they would not sign the new employment contracts required by
the recently adopted Bill on Universities. In the statement issued on
Friday, June 5, they said that the new employment contracts were in fact "a
declaration of loyalty" to the Government. Among those who signed are 6
distinguished tenured professors of the Faculty of Law: Dr. Danilo Basta,
Dr. Kosta Cavoski, Dr. Vojin Dimitrijevic, Dr. Miroljub Labus, Dr. Mirjana
Todorovic and Dr. Jovica Trkulja.

Article 165 of the new Bill on Universities requires that all professors at
Serbian universities, including tenured ones, sign new employment contracts
within 60 days, notwithstanding their existing employment contracts. If not,
they would lose their jobs. The provision is widely regarded as a venue to
lay off "disloyal" professors because the Government does not have a
corresponding duty to offer the contract.

The Rector of the University of Belgrade and deans of seven faculties
resigned last week in protest to the adoption of the Bill on Universities.
Faculty of Philosophy is still on general strike. However, other faculties
have not joined the strike and students on Friday called off their
demonstrations.

The new Bill on University ended all vestiges of the autonomy at Serbian
universities. The rector of the university, deans of faculties, as well as
all collective governing and supervisory bodies will be appointed by the
Government, without any guarantee for the representation of the faculty and
students. The government-appointed deans of faculties will freely employ and
dismiss university professors and other teaching staff. Appointments of
tenured professors will have to be approved by the Minister of Education.

The public strongly opposed the Bill which was unanimously rejected by the
University of Belgrade. On the day the Bill was adopted, the police brutally
dispersed demonstrations of students and professors in front of the Serbian
Parliament. Several demonstrators were injured and at least ten persons were
arrested. Attempted new gatherings of students were prevented by strong
police forces.

A group of professors has declered today that they are submitting an
initiative to the Constitutional Court of Serbia to declare the Bill
unconstitutional.

The Vice - Prime Minister of Serbia Vojislav Seselj the leader of the
ultra-right Serbian Radical Party declared in an interview that the Bill was
necessary in order to cleanse the University which allegedly was dominated
by disloyal elements. In particular, he mentioned the Faculty of Philosophy,
which according to him was in the hands of the Soros Foundation and declared
his intention to become member of the new Governing Board of the Faculty of
Law.


APPEAL TO THE SERBIAN PARLIAMENT
FROM THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE l2TH ANNUAL
EUROPEAN MEETINGS OF CULTURAL JOURNALS,
CAEN, NORMANDY, FRANCE 11-15 1998

We, the participants of the l2th annual meeting of European cultural
journals, vehemently oppose the Parliament of Serbia's recently adopted Law
on Universities which is unparalleled in its harshness and exclusionist
position in Europe, and whose final aim is to abolish academic intellectual
freedom in Serbia. This law must be reconsidered.

Considering the following facts:

*On the day of adoption of the Law, May 26th 1998, employment ceased for all
teachers and associates of the University. Re-hiring within the following
two months is at the discretion of the Government, according to undefined
criteria.

*The new Chancellor of the University, as well as all the Deans of the
individual Faculties are to be directly appointed by the Government of
Serbia. Employees of the University will have absolutely no say even in
proposing candidates, let alone electing them, what was previously in the
jurisdiction of the University Senate.

*Employment in the future will be based on the four-year contracts whose
signing will be at the Deans discretion. The concept of tenure is abolished,
even for full professors. Appeal against these decisions is possible to the
Supervisory Board appointed by the same Government which appoints the
Chancellor and the Deans.

We ardently oppose these provisions, along with other articles of the Law
providing for the Government interference and all forms of expulsion on
political, ethnic, or administrative grounds, which amount to stifling of
free thought at the universities of Serbia, and inevitably leads to a
decline in teaching, intellectual and moral standards.

We actively and openly support those teachers and associates of the
University who are opposing the new Law. We believe that only with the help
of international political, moral and legal pressure it is possible to
convince the Government of Serbia to withdraw this Law, which represents the
end of any kind of autonomy of the University.

We demand the immediate and categorical re-examination of the new Law on
Universities. Refusal to do so will oblige us individually and collectively
to initiate increasingly visible public and media campaign in the
international press in Europe and America.

Signed on this day, 13 June 1998, by:


Samuel ABRAHAM
Kritica & Kontext, Bratislava, Slovaquie

Marianne ALPHANT
Revues parlees, Centre Georges
Pompidou, Paris, France

David APPLEFIELD
Frank, Montreuil, France

Lothar BAIER
ecrivain, Francfort, Allemagne

Georges BLECHER
ecrivain, New York, Itats-Unis

John CALDER
Editeur, Angeterre / France

Claus CLAUSEN
Hug!, Copenhague, Danemark

Michele COLOMBO
L'Animal, Metz, France

Olivier CORPET
La Revue des revues, Paris, France

Daho DlERBAL
Naqd, Algerie

Jean-Michel ESPITALIER
Java, Paris, France

Walter FAMLER
Wespennest, Vienne, Autriche

Ghislaine GLASSON DESCHAUMES
Transeuropeennes, Paris, France

Christine GOEME
France-Culture

Martin HALA
Revolver Revue, Prague, Republique
Tcheque

Joy HENDRY
Chapman, Edimbourg, Ecosse

Irina HOREA
Lettre internationale, Bucarest, Roumanie

David KARLSSON
Ord & Bild, Goteborg, Suede

Klaus NELLEN
Transit, Vienne, Autriche

Irina PROKHOROVA
New Literary Review, Moscou, Russie

Hans-Gotz OXENIUS
Saarlouis, Allemagne

Antonio RIBEIRO
Revista critica de ciencas soetas, Coimbra, Portugal

Roger ROTMANN
Revues parlees, Centre Georges-Pompidou, Paris, France

Benoit RUELLE
Radio France International

Christian SALMON
Parlement international des ecrivains

Obrad SAVIC
Belgrade Circle, Belgrade, Serbie

Lucile SCHMID
Esprit, Paris, France

William SCHUMAN
L'Animal, Metz, France

Pierre-Yves SOUCY
Le Courrier du Centre international
d'etudes poetiques, Bruxelles,
Belgique

Jani VIRK
Literatura, Ljubljana, Slovenie

Amin ZAOUI
ecrivain, Algerie
(en residence a Caen)

Gaby ZIPFEL
Mittelweg 36, Hambourg" Allemagne

L'EQUIPE D'ENT'REVUES
Andre CHABIAN
Frangoise DUFOUMET
Amal RENNE
Michel RICHARD

L'EQUIPE DE L'IMEC
Yves CHEVREFILS-DESBIOLLES
Albert DICHEY
Catherine GIRARD
Marie-AGNES MESNARD
Emmanuel TARRIERE

rencontres european
europiennes meetings of
des  revues cultural
culturelles journals

12me RENCONTRE, CAEN & PARIS, 12-I5 JUIN 1998