AMNESTY INTERNATIONALPublic Statement

18 August 2000 AI Index EUR 70/039/2000 - News Service Nr. 159 FRY: Bojan Aleksov and Women in Black - human rights defenders at risk

Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of human rights defenders  and members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Serbia. Amnesty  International's concerns have increased following the arrest and  ill-treatment of Bojan Aleksov.
        Bojan Aleksov is a Serb national who has been living in Budapest for two  years, working primarily with the Safe-House project for Conscientious  Objectors from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) who have fled to  Hungary. He is also closely associated with the Belgrade-based NGO Zene u  Crnom protiv Rata (Women in Black against War). He was arrested by the State  Security Police on 7 July 2000 after he had returned to Belgrade to visit  his family.  He also returned because of his concern for the Women in Black  group. In June this year the State Security and Financial Police interviewed  the Women in Black group and members of other NGOs about their financial  status, their work and local and international contacts.
        Bojan Aleksov was detained from 8pm on 7 July to 7pm on 8 July, after being  forcibly removed from his car and taken to the central police station in  Belgrade. During this 23-hour period he was repeatedly threatened with  death. He was interrogated about his work with the Safe House Project for  Conscientious Objectors, the activities of Women in Black and their contacts  within the FRY and internationally. It became clear to Bojan Aleksov during  his interrogation that the State Security Police had been engaged in the  long-term surveillance of Women in Black, and had been recording  conversations, including telephone conversations, which took place in their  offices and in their private apartments for at least two years.
        During his period of interrogation by the State Security Police, Bojan  Aleksov, was repeatedly beaten and subjected to verbal abuse, including  homophobic abuse, and other humiliating treatment. For a period of five  hours, he was subject to ill-treatment which included being forced to stand  on his toes and being beaten with a truncheon on his body. He was denied  water for this initial period of five hours, despite a temperature of over  30 degrees. He was kept awake throughout the night, and at 11am the  following day he was beaten on the soles of his feet, the palms of his hands  and other parts of his body by three police officers, using a baton or  truncheon.
        Throughout the interrogation, Bojan Aleksov repeatedly stressed to the  police that he had not been engaged in espionage, but had been working for  human rights in Serbia, particularly in relation to the rights of  conscientious objectors. He was finally forced to write a 12-page statement,  dictated to him by an interrogating officer, detailing his activities  relating to Conscientious Objectors and to the activities of Women in Black,  including details of his local and foreign contacts and visits made to other  countries.  In addition, he was forced to make a shorter statement admitting responsibility for his previous "crimes", and under threat of death, to  agree to work for the State Security Service.
        He was then forced to repeat parts of the 12-page statement on video  camera.  He had to admit that he was working for foreign intelligence  services, collecting information through Stanislavka (Stasa ) Zajovic  - who  the police described as the leader of Women in Black - and the local network  she had created. He had to state that he was then transmitting this  information to foreign intelligence services and was consciously working  against the security, integrity and defence capability of the FRY.
        He was forced to do the same for his second written statement - having to  repeat it three times before the recording was deemed convincing enough. He  had to repeat that he would accept "criminal and moral responsibility" for  his previous actions and that henceforward he would work for the "service"  (State Security Police) - "even at the risk of his own life".
        Amnesty International is concerned that these statements made under threat  could be used as the basis for charging Bojan Aleksov with "espionage" and  the "spreading of false information". Such charges have been used by the FRY  authorities in a number of recent cases.  Journalist Miroslav Filipovic  was  sentenced under these charges to seven years imprisonment.  Amnesty  International was concerned that the charges were used to limit freedom of  expression rather than in the legitimate defence of the security of the  state.
        Bojan Aleksov fled Serbia following his arrest, and now fears for his life.  Shortly before and after the arrest, three other members of the group, were  interrogated and verbally abused by the State Security Police during  "informative talks".  The premises of Women in Black in Belgrade and a  private apartment where one of the group lived, were raided and searched,  and materials including papers and two computer hard-discs were confiscated.
        Following these incidents, several members of Women in Black have fled from  Belgrade, fearing arrest and prosecution or worse. Given the arrest and  ill-treatment of Bojan Aleksov, Amnesty International is extremely concerned  for the safety of members of Women in Black who remain in Serbia and for  individuals and members of other NGOs working for human rights in FRY.
        Amnesty International calls on the authorities to conduct exhaustive and  impartial investigations into the arrest and ill-treatment of Bojan Aleksov;  and urges that members of the state security police alleged to be  responsible for the ill-treatment of Bojan Aleksov should be immediately  suspended from active service until the investigations are completed.  Further they should ensure that perpetrators of human rights violations  against human rights defenders do not benefit from legal measures exempting  them from criminal prosecution or conviction.
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