• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=10/11/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-67775

TITLE=YUGOSLAVIA / JOURNALIST (L ONLY)

BYLINE=STEFAN BOS

DATELINE=BELGRADE

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: A Serbian journalist who was one of the first political prisoners freed after the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic has criticized his colleagues for not investigating alleged war crimes committed by the military. Stefan Bos reports from Belgrade that Miroslav Filipovic made his comment at a news conference Wednesday, one day after his release from military prison.

TEXT: Looking frail and somewhat uncomfortable with the media attention, Miroslav Filipovic said his "life stopped on May 8th" when he was suddenly arrested on charges of espionage and treason. He was eventually sentenced to serve seven years in a Serb jail. The 49-year old journalist, who reported for the French news agency (AFP) and a Yugoslav national daily (Danas), said he spent most of the last five months in a military prison and military hospitals, where he was treated for heart problems.

Mr. Filipovic was seized after he wrote a story charging that the Yugoslav army was involved in war crimes in Kosovo. The story contained interviews with unidentified army officers who told how Yugoslav soldiers committed atrocities in Kosovo.

Speaking at the news conference in Belgrade, Mr. Filipovic made it clear he was disappointed that none of his colleagues seemed to be willing to investigate the actions of the army and police forces.

/// ACT OF FILIPOVIC IN SERBIAN, FADE UNDER ///

But Mr. Filipovic said that he had waited a long time before publishing the story, which included information about alleged atrocities against ethnic-Albanian civilians. But once he had the information, he believed he had to inform people about what was happening.

There are indications that the new government of President Vojislav Kostunica played a role in the decision to release Mr. Filipovic. He was released along with at least 7 foreigners, who had been accused by the Milosevic government of being enemies of the state.

But human rights workers in Belgrade are expressing concern that the new government may be less willing to free hundreds of ethnic Albanian political prisoners who remain in jail. (Signed)

NEB/SB/KL/TDW