DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesman

September 30, 1999

STATEMENT BY JAMES P. RUBIN, SPOKESMAN

Last evening in Belgrade, hundreds of Slobodan Milosevic's riot police used batons and water cannons to beat and disperse up to 30,000 demonstrators who had gathered for the ninth consecutive day of peaceful demonstrations to demand democracy for Serbia and to call for Milosevic to step down.

The U.S. condemns in the strongest terms this brutal attack on the Serbian people by the forces guarding Slobodan Milosevic and his regime. Their brutality was in glaring contrast to the peaceful behavior of tens of thousands of citizens who have been gathering daily in many cities and towns throughout Serbia to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully in support of democracy and in opposition to Milosevic.

Dozens of demonstrators were injured as a result of the crackdown, as were several journalists. There are reports that cameramen with CNN and Sky News were beaten and their cameras were destroyed. A Reuters cameraman was also reportedly beaten.

Several members of the Social Democratic Party were subsequently arrested by the police in their Belgrade offices. Other activists were also reportedly arrested.

Demonstrations are scheduled again for this evening in Serbia at 8 p.m. local time. We call upon the Belgrade authorities to refrain from violence and to allow the citizens of Serbia to exercise their right to freedom of expression.

Last night's attack and arrests demonstrate yet again the brutally repressive nature of the Milosevic regime, and the lengths to which Milosevic is prepared to go in order to maintain his grip on power. The people of Serbia are making clear that they are unwilling to be ruled by an indicted war criminal. They deserve, and are demanding, much better.