After warning the independent media not to “spread panic and defeatism”, the regime in Serbia yesterday banned the Belgrade newspapers “Danas” and “Dnevni Telegraf”. Earlier it took measures against independent radio stations and banned rebroadcasting of “Voice of America”, “BBC” and “Deutsche Welle” programmes. It is clear that the regime, not satisfied with its complete control over State television and radio, is using the crisis over Kosovo to stifle even the limited freedom that the media had up to now. 

While protesting in the strongest possible terms against this attack on the freedom of thought and expression, I would like to point out that there can be no democracy or the rule of law without the freedom of the press and media. I am convinced that the Serbian people will not allow the present regime in Belgrade, which has brought the Serbs and the entire region to the brink of disaster, to deprive them even of independent media. As regards the ban on rebroadcasting of programmes of foreign radio stations such as the BBC, I would like to remind the regime that listening to “Radio London” was banned in Serbia only once in our history when the ban was imposed by the German occupier during the Second World War. 

Alexander 

London 14 October, 1998