25. 05. 2004

TV Smederevo's electricity, water supply and telephones cut

SMEDEREVO, May 25, 2004 – Security staff of the Municipal Assembly Smederevo today cut electricity, water supply and telephones to the municipal television Smederevo. A few days ago TV Smederevo's transmitters were disabled, and today this television programme cannot be viewed via the cable system, either. TV Smederevo employees, who have been on strike for 61 day in protest at the replacement of acting director and unsettled company's status, are afraid their equipment might be confiscated as well, said Zoran Mitrovic, acting editor-in-chief of TV Smederevo. «Our basic task is to stay in the television building in order to prevent confiscation of the equipment, as we have been informed there is a possibility of private security coming today with the newly appointed but unacknowledged director and some employees of the municipality to take TV Smederevo equipment to another location. We refuse to leave the premises and demand negotiations over this issue», Zoran Mitrovic said. TV Smederevo staff hope they will be able to resume broadcasting the programme by means of a power unit. The municipal authorities' intention to confiscate the equipment and establish a new television company was confirmed by the chairman of the Executive Board of the Municipal Assembly of Smederevo, Dobrica Jovanovic, who also said that the newly appointed director of TV Smederevo was going to invite the employees who weren't on strike for an interview about working for the new television company. Jovanovic also announced that appropriate measures will be taken against the striking staff. In the meantime, journalists and technicians of TV Smederevo have appealed to OSCE, relevant associations and non-government organizations, and they also intend to establish contact with the head officials of the Serbian Government.