On Tuesday, January 21st, in Belgrade, plainclothes police arrested several individuals, citizens of Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Romania, and Albania, at a hotel in Belgrade and took them in an unmarked car to the Police Station in New Belgrade. All of them are workers in the civil society sector, including our colleague from the WHW organization in Zagreb, who works in contemporary art. They came to our country to participate in the Erste Stiftung NGO Academy program held recently in Belgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were detained at the police station for several hours. During that time, they were questioned about their education, the universities they attended, and the reasons for their visit to Belgrade. Afterward, they received a document in our language written in Cyrillic script that they were forced to sign, even though most did not understand a word of its content. The colleagues from Croatia emphasized that the police translated the document upon their request. However, the document, i.e., the resolution stated that it was issued \u201cwith the opinion of the state authority responsible for security protection in the Republic of Serbia, which determined that the stay of the named citizen represents an unacceptable security risk in the Republic of Serbia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the same resolution, the detainees were given twenty-four hours to leave Serbia and were banned from entering our country for the next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We, the undersigned, call on the public to interpret this event as a signal that it can no longer be tolerant of such actions by the authorities and to see in this act proof of their panic under the pressure of widespread social rebellion. The cowardly, illegal, and despicable treatment of our colleagues from the civil sector in neighboring countries is a dangerous attempt to strengthen the narrative about foreign agents, mercenaries, and secret services whose intent is to intimidate the citizens of Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a community of free and solidarity-minded workers in culture, we send a message to all our colleagues around the world, especially our neighbors, that we will do everything in our power to ensure this never happens again. We refuse to accept that the noblest values \u2013 cooperation, respect, solidarity, and tolerance \u2013 which we promote together with a vast number of colleagues from the region, are discriminated against, punished, or sanctioned, while our guests, collaborators, and friends are detained, harassed, and expelled from our country without any reason or explanation. We have had enough of the victims and traumas caused by the war-mongering nationalist policies of the same authorities that have shamed us in the region and the world throughout the entire nineties and during these last thirteen years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We demand that the state of Serbia apologize to all detained colleagues and their countries and immediately annul the disgraceful decisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Association Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia and its members:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Station Service for Contemporary Dance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BazaArt<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jednostavno re\u010deno<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiosk<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Karkatag Collective<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Praktikabl Organization<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Art Association UA Zrenjanin<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creative Mentorship<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fakiri sa Juga<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eho Animato<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Novi optimizam (New Optimism)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satibara<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BUNT Belgrade Artistic New Territory<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Association Prostor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ta\u010dka komunikacije<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Krokodil<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kulturis<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Svetlost Orchestra<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knjigoskop<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hop.La!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pobunjene \u010ditateljke<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beldocs \u2013 International Documentary Film Festival<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multimedia Center Led Art<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kontekst<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Auropolis<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CESK Center for Empirical Studies of Culture in Southeast Europe<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ArteQ<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LICEULICE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Omen Theatre<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KAO Parnas<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Theatre Patos<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Studio 6 \u2013 Collective for the Promotion of Contemporary Music<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Association Zabuna<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Circusfera<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TV Krpelj<\/p>\n\n\n\n
POD Theatre<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cultural Center Rex<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Studio for Multimedia Art<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tri Gro\u0161a<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Svet stripa (Comic World)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sklopka<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kuda.org<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Village Cultural Center Markovac<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gifest<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other cultural organizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remont NUA<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mikser<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Center for Cultural Decontamination<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Art Space U10<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stereovizija<\/p>\n\n\n\n
International Association of Art Critics AICA \u2013 Serbia Section<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Center “\u017diveti uspravno”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Per.Art<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Organizations supporting the initiative:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Civic Initiatives<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jelena \u0160anti\u0107 Foundation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Autonomous Women\u2019s Center<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Youth Initiative for Human Rights<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slavko \u0106uruvija Foundation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CRTA<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Belgrade Center for Security Policy<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Center for Contemporary Politics<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Belgrade Center for Human Rights<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights (YUCOM)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SHARE Foundation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DUGA<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Partners Serbia<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KUPEK<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Initiative A11<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Center \u017diveti uspravno<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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