He was 95 years old, and for the past two years he was being treated at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade.

Patriarch Pavle was chosen to head the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1990 and was the 44th patriarch.

He was said to be a humble person, who lived a simple lifestyle of an Orthodox monk. He was revered by the Serbian believers, as well as followers of other religions.

On occasion of his death, Serbia’s government declared a three-day mourning, starting Monday.

Serbian bloggers did not remain indifferent, either. They reacted to the death of Patriarch Pavle, as well as to the decisions of the government related to his passing.

Blogger Constrictorial wrote (SRP):

[…] I think that he was a human who worked, above all, for the reconciliation of people from this region […] in the time of war, he was one of the rare people who called for peace. […]

[…] I think that he was a modest man who was emitting love, sincerity and honesty. […]

At the end of his post, the blogger quoted Patriarch Pavle’s words:

Finally, as always, I must repeat what's always remains the same: be humane towards those who are constantly seeing us as their enemies; don’t hurry with hugs, but extend hands to everyone who realizes that we have to live as humans if we couldn’t live as brothers. Care for good relations with our neighbors who, even under the highest pressures, didn’t forget that we had to be oriented towards each other. […]

Teofil Pancic, a journalist, published his article titled “The Politics of Condolence” on the Pescanik web site. He wrote this (SRP), among other things:

[…] This is neither the place, nor the time for detailing about Gojko Stojcevic’s [civil name of Patriarch Pavle] character and works. No doubt that he led his Church so that it was not deviating from the widespread and tragic mistakes which inconceivably held Serbia back over the last 20 years. It is also true that other bishops, if they had been in his place, would have been more extreme. It is the fact that he, with his own lifestyle, which suited the popular, that is, idealized show about monks, acquired the mass respect of ordinary people, who are tired because they live in a destroyed society in which all the vagabonds and tramps, including those in cassocks, earn suspiciously bloody millions and drive around promoting their own banditry by various expensive cars and jeeps. […]

Blogger Aleksandar Vasovic reacted severely to the government’s decision to pay expenses to businessmen for all the workers who would attend the ceremony of the Patriarch’s funeral on Thursday. In his post titled “How much is Serbia’s mourning?”, he wrote (SRP):

[…] Why didn't the government, if it is so God-fearing, appeal to the faithful businessmen and workers to spend their one-day earnings, which it approved generously for them for the day of the Patriarch’s funeral, on the help for the poor and homeless persons, for the hungry ones and on maintaining community kitchens? […]

The Republican Broadcasting Agency has ordered state-funded electronic media to stop broadcasting musical programs because of the three-day mourning, and blogger Srdjan Mitrovic criticized (SRP) one Serbian cable operator for blocking of several channels:

SBB [Serbian Broadband] has blocked all music channels because of the days of mourning. […]

[…] I hope that they won’t remember to block cable internet because, God forbid, music could be broadcast through it. […]

P.S. On Channel TV 1000, they are showing soft porno films. Just so you know.

According to one of the first reports (HUN), published by a southern Hungarian news site Délmagyar.hu (HUN) about the case of 15 illegal immigrants disappeared in the Tisza River at the Hungarian-Serbian border, a member of the group who tried to cross the river, father of a 2-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, was the one to call the police from a public payphone in the border village, Röszke, at dawn on Oct. 15.

Nagyobb térképre váltás

Csaba Bálint, a blogger with Serbia Insajd (HUN), commented on the case, using the report of Délmagyar.hu, and also proposed to start an investigation personally on the relations between Hungary and Kosovo:

[…] Child, child, help!

That's what the Kosovo Albanian guy, whose children almost froze to death on the bank of the Tisza River, was repeating, when he was trying to escape to the EU one night. If somebody isn't familiar with the story, I'll retell it in a nutshell. […]

The weirdo had gone by that he would pay the human smuggler well, it's a trendy profession there, and what would be, would be, he would step into the new world at Szeged. He hadn't reckoned with the fact that cold rain would fall on his kids at night, that they would be worn out because of this irregular forest hike. When our man saw how big the trouble was, he left the children back in the October rain, and went to ask for help. […]

The children hardly breathed when they found them. A 2-year-old and a 3-year-old, I'm just mentioning that! They were totally run cold. One child of the cross-border violator mister had fallen into a coma, but got better since then. They came off with a whole skin, but the story is sad. Sad and makes you wonder. At least some questions come up with it.

What's the reason for that from the independent and free Kosovo Republic, hundreds of independent and free citizens are escaping? Probably, it's not easy to live in a ‘democracy' built on delinquency? Tell another independent country in Europe from where dozens of free people are coming illegally every week! Probably, the states that urged to recognize a Columbia of the Balkans, hereafter are not working so hard anymore on making the country a country? If a 29-year-old man with two little children is heading off to the forest at night in the middle of October, then I have to say: no.

In the next episode we'll look at what Hungary, the big European friend of Kosovo, has done so that the people living there wouldn't have to escape to the West. […]

Balkan Insight reported that investigations have been started by an EU rule of law mission, EULEX, Kosovo police and the Hungarian authorities. According to the website, migrant family groups had to pay €6,000 to €8,000 to get to Hungary. Contrary to the media referring to Koha Ditore, Balkan Insight emphasized, no arrests have been made yet.

By Monday, Magyar Szó reported (HUN) that a body of one man was found on the Hungarian border of the Tisza River, and on the Serbian border bodies of two women were found. One of them was Agron Rama's wife and the mother of his children.

Gábor Nagy, a Hungarian immigration officer, also commented (HUN) on the case on his blog, showing the same incomprehension of why Albanians escape so desperately from Kosovo:

[…] Of course in cases like this the question can always be raised, if the parents are so careless as to start off with babies to the ‘big world' or the situation is really this horrible in Kosovo? Though it should be mentioned, nobody is after them from Kosovo, as they ‘achieved their independence.' At least on paper. And that also can't be forgotten that these people are always helped by human smugglers for weighty Euros. But if we consider that it's not even to Hungary where they want to escape, then I have a negative stance on the things, too.

Srdjan Mitrovic wrote:

I am ashamed of this city, these politicians and this country.

Marko Jevtic created a Facebook group - “Stop Violence” - and, on his blog, invited readers to join it. He also wrote:

I am a Partizan fan. I was born and grew up in Belgrade… but I am ashamed.

REST IN PEACE BRIS

Srecko Sekeljic wrote:

Announcements and acts of violence, why the Gay Pride Parade has been forbidden in the capital’s center, why many people have been beaten, why Brice Taton has died tragically, why citizens can’t walk the streets of cities safely - all this shows very clearly the strong need for organizing a wide front against violence. The first step is for the citizens to take over the streets from groups and individuals who are spreading hatred and sowing fear and death. The next step is for the institutions to initiate and successfully bring criminal charges against individuals, groups and organizations that propagate and carry out the violence.

Serbian officials expressed their condolences to Brice’s family and said that Serbia would never forget him. Web site RTV Studio B published this statement by Ivica Dacic, the Interior Minister:

“On behalf of the Serbian Interior Ministry, I express my deepest condolences over the death of your son. Until the last moment we hoped that Brice and his youth would win. The news of his death, that the Serbian citizens received with great sorrow, is all the more tragic.”

According to ”Studio B”, the Human Rights Ministry State Secretary Marko Karadžić called on citizens to gather at Belgrade's central square at 11:30 CET on Wednesday to pay tribute to the victim with flowers and candles. He said:

It is horrible news that a French citizen lost his life this way in Belgrade. I want to call on all people in Belgrade to come to the Trg Republike square as a human gesture, light candles and leave flowers to show that there are many people in Serbia who are against violence and that Serbia will never forget French citizen Brice Taton, nor will it allow a similar thing to happen again.

President Tadic also reacted:

“Serbia will react with the highest level of seriousness, and with very strict principles. […]”

He added that this was a warning “to all groups that have been promoting violence over the last days.”

A few days ago, press service of president of Republic of Serbia published the president’s statement on his official site. This statement was issued because of numerous and serious threats to LGBT population by football fans of Partizan and Red Star teams, as well as by members of some neo-Nazi groups. Below is an excerpt:

[…] The government will do everything to protect citizens, regardless of their ethnic, religious, sexual or political orientation, because no group […] should take justice into their own hands and endanger the lives of those who think differently or are different.

In Serbia, “the Constitution, laws and public order and peace, respect, and any attacks on the army, police, journalists, officials and other citizens will not be tolerated, and all legal measures will be taken against the perpetrator.”

Only one day later, police chief Milorad Veljovic issued a statement in which he explained that it had been appraised, on the basis of security assessment by the ministry of internal affairs and other security services of the Republic of Serbia, that gathering in Belgrade’s downtown is extremely risky and could menace public order and peace in Belgrade.

The Organizing Board of Pride Parade did not agree to change location of the gathering. On that occasion, the board published the statement and described its decision. Here is an excerpt:

[…] Although in the police decision it was recommended that the event is moved to another spot such as Usce [the mouth of Danube and Sava] or the space in front of palace “Srbija”, it is absolutely clear the parade has been banned. Despite the high-ranking officials’ support statements that all social groups, including LGBT community, can liberally express their own attitudes in public places, these are only words, while nothing is actually being done.

The officials of the Republic of Serbia have formally admitted in this decision that the state is not able to adequately prevent and punish threats by clerical-fascistic organizations. Also, the state is not able to provide the rights for citizens that belong to them according to the Constitution. […]

[…] The state has failed a fundamental examination. It should be expecting a repeat examination. Very soon. The Republic of Serbia has surrendered but we haven’t.

On Saturday, September 19, ultra-nationalistic organization “1389″ (the group's name refers to the Battle of Kosovo, which took place in 1389) issued a statement and “E-novine” web site published it. Among other things, they wrote:

We consider that it is a big victory of normal Serbia and citizens against threats and forces. […]

[…] As it was announced, Activists of the Serbian Popular Movement 1389 and movement “Nazi“ will gather on the plateau in front of the Philosophical faculty tomorrow at 8 am and take part in the event called “Absolutely unviolent popular all-Serbian Party of sexual not deviant persons.”

We are calling citizens to massively come in Belgrade’s streets tomorrow in order to make sure that non-believers and satanists will not walk the streets of our city.

This statement and the police decision provoked a lot of reactions, not only by LGBT population, but also by the Serbian public. Bloggers also reacted to both of them.

Jasmina Tesanovic wrote:

As far as I can see at B92 news, members of clerical-fascistic group “1389” have walked along the Knez Mihajlo street, gathered on the plateau and visited Sveti Sava church. Also, last evening the victory of Serbia’s basketball team was celebrated over Belgrade’s streets with hysterical shouting “Serbia, Serbia” and raised three fingers.

And we, forbidden and invisible and whatever, but not Serbia, are sitting under the deck of a boat which is sinking.

Today at 11, it could be October 6, but not 1389. However, the time is neither linear nor progressive. I am just asking myself how Belgrade was in 1389. Probably not as violent and stupid. The time is for Belgrade steampunk revolution!

Srecko Sekeljic wrote:

[…] Serbia’s Executive, personified by its Prime Minister, and the security services, personified by the police chief, put an acknowledgment on paper that they have no control over the streets of their country's capital. For that time, minister of internal affairs and vice-president of the government, Ivica Dacic, have run away from country until things calm down. […]

[…] This acknowledgment was followed by the shocking allegations about the beating of foreign residents in the center of Belgrade. […]

Krugolina Borup expressed her attitude with harshness and irony:

What kind of government are you if you were not able to protect 500 people. Don’t tell me that you couldn’t paint in pink 500 bullet-proof vests, helmets and gas masks and distribute to us madmen, only in the country who was courageous to resist tyrants.

What kind of government are you if you didn’t have in your mind to stand in the front row, all of you 25 or so, because this stopped to be an issue about Pride Parade a long, long time ago and turned into the parade of the fight against violence. […]

At the end of her post, she turned to Zoran Djindjic, former Prime Minister and president of the Democratic Party, who was killed in 2003 by the mafia which was supported by some politicians who were disguised as Djindjic’s political partners, according to respectable number of famous persons, ordinary citizens and political parties, because he wanted to settle accounts with them and lead the country to the European Union as soon as possible:

Oh my Djindjic… these successors of yours… they've betrayed both you and me. As you said: “If someone thinks that he will stop putting into effect the laws if I am killed, then he deceives himself because I am not the system. The system will keep on functioning and nobody will be amnestied for their crimes even if one or two officials would be killed.”

Oh, my Djindjic… they killed and defeated you, my dear. These sissies, not only they don’t represent a system - they've never heard about it. They are afraid to be killed, as you were killed, if they stand in the front row of the Pride column. Sissies, sissies, sissies!

Krugolina finished her post with bitter and sarcastic verses of a famous Serbian author Djordje Balasevic, who supported democratic revolution in Serbia from October 2000:

Go Europe, don’t waste time on us.
Don’t ask too much, you will get too bad a reputation.
Go planet, we had a great time together.
We are fine, just like we deserve.

Krugolina Borup wrote this in her other post related to the cancellation of the Gay Pride Parade:

News: Serbian Popular Movement 1389 sent a mass e-mail to all Belgrade’s media editorial offices that it will pay for photographs of participants of the Pride Parade. They have intention to publish them, so that the parents could recognize sexually deviant persons and protect their children from their impact.

In this post, Krugolina posted her own picture in response to “1389” and wrote that from now on, she was a lesbian, too.

Nebojsa Spaic wrote:

The country is:
1. weak and helpless
2. totalitarian and repressive
3. stupid and unable
4. frightened
5. nationalistic and conservative
6. all of the above

President Tadic doesn't think so. He said this about the cancellation of the parade, among other things:

This has been a misunderstanding in the public and the wrong interpretation. Serbia, as a country, will never recede before the perpetrators and those who threaten […]. The state has offered the safest possible conditions for holding pride parades and Serbia will, like any other European country, insist on the protection of human rights of all its citizens, many times I said, regardless of their national, political, religious or sexual orientation. […]

LGBT population has been facing plenty of serious threats in the past few months. Some neo-Nazi groups and fans who are connected with Red Star and Partizan football clubs have been issuing threats to organizers, warning that the event's participants would be beaten if they organize parade. On the walls of Belgrade’s buildings appeared deterrent messages: “Death to faggots,” “Serbia for Serbs, Out with Faggots.” Football club officials dissociated themselves from these fan groups and said that they didn’t organize anyone to write graffiti.

At the conference, representatives of the LGBT population reminded the public of the Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade of June 2001. Lesbian movement named this gathering the Massacre Parade: 40 persons were injured and LGBT community was held hostage by fear for many years afterward.

On the occasion of this year’s parade, they said:

We the activists have long been asking ourselves, “Is it time?, are we ready?” and finally this year, new people came and said “YES!”. Lots of activities, and many negotiations with police and the Ministry for Human Rights are underway to secure a peaceful parade.

At the end of the press conference they invited people to participate in the event:

We obviously need many of us to be here! We invite you all to come and join us on Sunday, the 20th of September!

Mayor of Belgrade, Dragan Djilas, who used to be one of the leaders of the anti-Milosevic student protests, and who is now a high-ranking official in the Democratic Party, is against the parade.

Belgraded.com reported on the bizarre statement Djilas made when asked to comment on the safety issues of the forthcoming Belgrade Gay Pride Parade, and the anti-gay graffiti seen throughout the city these days:

“I say what I believe—maybe I was raised patriarchal—but sexual orientation is a personal thing, and I do not know why anyone would have to come out with it in public, regardless of whether they are homosexual or heterosexual. I did not imperil anyone, I am not prohibiting anything, I just said that such an event will cause a reaction from those that destroy the city every several dozen days and I am expressing concern for the participators.”

Goran Miletic, a Serbian blogger, reacted (SRP) to the mayor's statement:

Mayor Đilas didn’t support the parade. Instead of pointing out the actual laws, he did the most risky thing. […] he said that the police would not be able to protect participants after the Parade. In this way he gave ideas and encouraged everyone who is preparing to commit criminal acts. Third, in his statements he gave an alibi to the policemen not to make enough effort to protect participants. If someone like Đilas says that something is unavoidable, why would the policemen try to do that. Fourth, mayor sent word to Belgrade citizens that they are not obliged to express publicly something from their private lives (the European Court for Human Rights confirmed in a few verdicts that the private is inseparable from the public). Fifth, the mayor is worried about buses in which participants will arrive in Belgrade to be eventually destroyed after the event. In this way he clearly informs us the buses are more important than the people. Sixth, since tens of thousands gays came to Belgrade from the Europe during the [2008] Eurovision Song Contest, and for ten days not a single incident was registered, we conclude that foreign gays, who visited Belgrade as tourists, are acceptable for mayor, but that is not the case with Belgrade gays/Serbs.

Here are some of the dozens of comments to this post:

g.radicevic writes:

[…] Don't get me wrong, I am not against gay population, the Roma, Albanians… anyone. All are supposed to have the same rights but no more the same just because they belong to some group or community. The basis of democracy is that everyone can use his rights but no one can deprive others of the same rights. Simply, I am allergic to selective struggle for human rights. […]

Sybil replies to g.radicevic:

[…] Why would heterosexuals fight for human rights if they are the majority and their rights are not violated. The rights of minorities are violated and the mirror of a society represents relation towards them. Mayor can think anything at his home but as a public person he must to protect minorities and human rights. […]

drug. clan writes:

The story that minority is always deprived is unavoidable falsehood. That is true in the case of gay population in Serbia but that is not the general truth and cannot be an argument. […]

[…] Is the minority of 3% of the total population which has 80% of world’s treasure deprived because it is a minority?

Adam Weisphaut writes:

Let the LGBT population appraise solo what is best for them because they have to live with social prejudices every day.

Earlier this year, LGBT in Serbia was in the online spotlight, too. On a Facebook page titled “Should the organizing of Gay Pride Parade be supported” the following views were published:

Радивоје wrote on March 18:

I have therapy for them. Gays should be beaten by thick bar over their heads to set person straight.

Predrag wrote:

Illness? Where do you live? If something bothers you, why don’t you simply ignore it?

The illness called “neo-Nazism” and how to treat it is more interesting to me.

Nenad wrote:

Homosexuality is a disease. It is incurable. It’s the saddest in Serbia that homosexuals have more rights than normal people. Our government is preoccupied with issues of homosexuality as our people from Kosovo are hungry. Also, there are many poor citizens in Serbia. Gays and people who fight for human rights have the worst propaganda that this population has rights in the European Union. But they are acceptable in England, the Netherlands and Slovenia only. I don’t know who they are lying to. Homosexuals contributed only to the white plague and AIDS. […]

Predrag wrote:

If the words are about white plague, this country is exclusively guilty of that because it didn’t provide conditions for young people to have their own family. Gay population is not responsible for that.

Dusan wrote:

It’s terrible, guys, where this world is going to. And gays will have right to have sex in the streets. We are really miserable and can’t be more miserable.

On the forum titled “Gay Parade 2009 – Belgrade YES or NO” the following comments were published, among other things:

nicsta12 wrote:

To forbid. Because they are the repulsive and perverted beast. I’m repeating: the beast… And probably they will be beaten.

Djosla wrote:

For ignorance and stupidity NO, for all others YES.

Zimba wrote:

I think that parade should be allowed. They should let them walk 15-20 meters and then they should be beaten very strongly to forget their own names as well as that they are faggots.

Vidovlad wrote:

A stake is a cure. Of course NO. When has the straight parade been ever held? Who do we look to for help with our deprived rights? Illness should treated, not protected by laws.

CrasyHorse wrote:

Which human rights? Faggots conceive in order to advertise themselves and poison kids' brains so that they could abuse them. I’m not against them having sex among themselves, but advertising and poisoning of kids' brains is too much. Do you see that they took over the Eurosong, only gays, lesbians and transvestites can win. Hooligans, take bars in your hands. Beat the beast! […]

Russell Gordon writes (SRP):

[…]

In the three years since their divorce, the heroin addict has paid no child support, continually endangered Ilija’s life through neglect during his visitation, and in the last year, repeatedly threatened death to our family. He has left Ilija in the “care” of others while procuring drugs, and driven drunk with him on his lap with no seat belt. We have tried to protect Ilija from possible harm by limiting the times when the ex-husband could see or take him, but the legal system has defied logic and defended the junkie, not the child. When we inquire as to what logic permits this, we are always told the same: “This is Serbia.”

Registered addict Vladimir Mladenovic from Nis has twice come to our home with football hooligans while drunk, banging on the doors and windows, threatening to beat us to death in front of little Ilija. Twice they have hurled abuse and threats at us while trespassing on our own property. We followed the law and remained in our house, and called police. The legal system did nothing.

Once, while driving away Vladimir and Ilija during their court appointed bi-monthly visits, one of the hooligans tried to hit me with his car. The legal system again did nothing.

Rather than have the sanctity of our child, our home and our welfare defended by the State, we have been repeatedly warned by the Serbian courts, police and social workers that regardless of the risk the ex-husband’s behavior poses to Ilija’s health and life (and ours), if we impede his court-appointed visitation rights for any reason it will be Jelena who sees the inside of a Serbian prison.

Additionally, the ex-husband has filed numerous frivolous lawsuits against us, which the Serbian State has duly prosecuted. We are being sued for using “not nice words” to him and the hooligans (including calling them hooligans) when they came trespassing on our property to make death threats. The lawsuits have contained considerable creative license, all heard duly by the courts.

Our concerns though have been met with a considerably different measure. While giving testimony against Vladimir for his threatening behavior, one judge sat Jelena within one meter of him with no security. Ignoring and waving off my concerns imperiously, the judge waved me out of her courtroom. Enraged, I broke a small window while trying to exit the building, and was imprisoned for two days, and physically abused by guards. (My repeated efforts to contact acquaintances in the Serbian Ministries of Justice, Interior and Defense were met with complete silence, and we were advised that although the prison warden admitted that guard brutality was “routine” we didn’t stand a chance in Serbian courts suing the government.)

Yesterday the ex-husband showed up in court to testify against us for our alleged insults to his dignity – visibly wasted on heroin. His half-shut eyes and slurred, mumbled speech testified to our concerns about his ability and competence to care for Ilija when he takes him two weekends per month. The judge refused to hear Jelena’s concerns, and refused to order drug tests. His at-times incoherent ramblings were duly recorded, and our lawyer counseled silence.

At the heart of the matter is a battle not over Ilija’s safety, or a father’s love supposed for his son, but between a family who failed, and one who is succeeding.

When I formed a family with Jelena and Ilija, he was a boy without anyone fulfilling the role of father. I accepted him, love him and raise him as my own and we have great love and family harmony. The rage this obviously caused to Vladmir and his parents drove them to use and abuse the legal system, and so many lawsuits and court-appointed interviews means that we dedicate three days out of each week to courts, lawyers, and social workers – none who has done a thing to protect Ilija, or us.

If this case were unique in Serbia, one could shrug it off as bad luck. But in our inquiries with friends, colleagues, and law firms, it turns out this is all standard operating procedure. The reason we are told with a shrug is always the same: This is Serbia.

Early this week in another part of Serbia, an ex-husband killed his wife right in front of the social workers who ordered visitation rights. Is this the European Serbia of the future?

Such an anarchic and anti-conformist society seems hardly fit for the regimentation, and bureaucracy-in-the-triplicate regulation that EU membership necessitates. Will they buckle up through Schengen checkpoints, only to die on the open road in visa-free bliss? And how many EU citizens will they take with them to the netherworld?

It begs the sardonic question: who pays Ilija’s funeral expenses if he dies in a car crash? And is there a specific procedure for applying for an official statement of regret over our bereavement, or do we just follow SOP and say ‘this is Serbia’?

Nearly all Serbian media have shown the horrible scenes from the short film, in which Peranovic is shown beating one of the patients brutally with a spade and with his fists.

Ombudsman of citizens, Sasa Jankovic, is one of the officials who reacted very quickly. According to the Vreme web site, Jankovic said that he had brought criminal charges against nine identified persons from the Spiritual Rehabilitation Center “Crna Reka” near Novi Pazar because of quackery and committing assault and battery. Jankovic also said that, according to the video, it was obvious that the patients of the center had been injured very seriously and that could not be a treatment or therapy.

Serbian bloggers reacted to the report very quickly, too, and so did representatives of the Spiritual Rehabilitation Center “Crna Reka” and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Ivan only posted the video instead of words on his blog. Here are some of the comments:

WarnY, 5/21/2009:

Initially, I felt nauseous.

Then I thought it over and recalled one talk with my friends, and realized that everything does not look the way it is.

Namely, the word is about people who are on a path with no return. For them and their families anything is more acceptable than if they go on with their lives the way they used to. […]

Ivan replied: 5/22/2009:

Yes, everything that you said is right but when I saw how that hippopotamus was breaking his jaws, I felt ill.

Banjac, 5/23/2009:

In comparison with tortures that drug addicts have survived because of thefts and crimes that they committed, what was shown in the video represents insignificant torture. If drug addicts break a car lock and steal a radio from it, they will be beaten much more. Finally, ask drug addicts’ families how much difficulties and sufferings they have survived and ask them whether they agree with the methods of priest Branislav, and I know surely that they are do not mind. He accepted this job with all his heart and he is trying to help. The torture that was shown in the video is a natural thing in those circles, where it is very difficult for a man to think rationally and humanly. In the end, the “Crna Reka” center is not a source of drug addicts, but the place of Christ’s resurrection who bled for all of us. By faith in God, have my absolute support, priest Branislav.

Foxy Lady, 5/25/2009:

I didn’t watch this video because I am quite a young girl. I just read about it.

I don’t know how drug addicts are, and don’t know what kinds of treatments are being used in hospitals, but I know that if they beat a drug addict, they will get a beaten but not a treated drug addict as a result.

Arnam, 5/27/2009:

This is terrible, such cretins should be arrested. This is pouring out of the vials on people. Regardless of whether someone is a drug addict or not, such act is not normal and has nothing to do with treatment. What's happening is a catastrophe.

On the official web site of the Spiritual Rehabilitation Center “Crna Reka” the following is published, among other things:

[…] Chronology is simple. Biden comes to Serbia. Bishop Artemije doesn’t welcome him in the High Dečani monastery since he represents the occupying forces. Domestic progressive forces are bitter and use the video to discredit bishop Artemije who gave his blessings for the founding of the center as well as priest Branislav who has been the center's head for about ten years. […]

Will Serbian drug addicts be finally thankful to Biden for all that he did for him as well as in Serbia and Kosovo and Afghanistan? […]

Peranovic’s statement to the B92 TV station was published on the Vreme’s site:

“We sometimes use force, of course, in agreement with the parents. And patients were warned just in time that we would not tolerate the violation of our rules. Those who have a drug addict at home knows well what I'm speaking about.”

Silja, one of patients of the “Crna Reka” center, says:

I am Silja and I have been a patient of the “Crna Reka” center from October 29, 2008. I think that I am more competent than any journalist to speak about this topic. I have a message for everyone who believes the orchestrated attacks on the Orthodox Missionary and Spiritual Rehabilitation Center “Crna Reka” - the attacks in which all the media in Serbia took part: stop condemning the center’s staff for something that they had no personal experiences with. It is an absolute falsehood that torture is used as therapy. If there is a torture, it is applied to small patients who don’t obey the rules in the center and who hinder all of us who want to treat ourselves. It is strictly forbidden to bring drugs into the center, any kind of physical conflicts as well as thefts, insulting, running away from the center. Each violation of these rules has to be punished. That happens rarely and it is used in case of need. There are a lot of patients in the center and if the rules are not obeyed, it would be chaos there. You have to know that drug addict is ready to do anything when he is in crisis.

Serbian blogger Markos wrote on his blog on the web site titled Trista cuda:

[…] Some of the parents who were at the camp yesterday had an absolutely different opinion from the majority of the public regarding the brutal methods of re-education of drug addicts. […]

Markos quoted a statement of Vera from Novi Sad, mother of one of the patients:

“My son has been staying there for four years. If he had not come to the center, he would have not survived. I bought a rope for him and I said to him that he should hang himself if he could not live without drugs.”

She added that she was against torture. But treatment in the Institute for Substance Abuse didn’t help her son. He came out from there after [nine sorts of remedies had been tried on him, but still remained a drug addict].

Blogger Nikola Knezevic quoted a statement of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, among other things. Here is an excerpt of it:

The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church received with astonishment and regret news about brutal violence toward patients of the substance abuse in monastery Crna Reka in the Rasko-Prizrenska Eparchy. Records which were shown and acknowledgment by clergyman are irrefutable evidence of violence which is absolutely unknown to evangelic spirit and the Church’s mission.

Because of that, Synod calls reverend bishop Artemije to immediately dismiss illegal stationary and bring church-legal action against clergymen who committed the violence. […]

Knezevic concluded his post with these words:

What astonished and shocked as much as the incident did is the high level of masochism of parents. In accordance with the principle “the end justifies the means,” they were absolutely indifferent to or supported the way in which their children were treated in the “Crna Reka” center. It is surely one more alarming sign that violence has become acceptable in our society.

Vojislav Stojković wrote this (SRP) about doubt and Biblical resurrections:

Philosophy and science say that there should be doubt about everything (de omnibus dubitandum). To doubt the resurrection of Jesus is a great sin for the Church. Because of such doubts, a lot of people died from torture and burned at the stake during the Inquisition. But, at the beginning, the disciples of Jesus, especially one of them, the doubting Thomas, also had doubts about resurrection. Therefore, doubt shouldn’t be a sin. If I have doubts, I think. If I think, I exist (cogito, ergo sum). Every Easter, I ask myself what is better – to believe or to have doubt – and whether a man can choose between these at all?

These days Christians are celebrating their biggest holiday – the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For them, there is irrefutable evidence that Jesus of Nazareth is really God’s son and that he was sent by God to save humanity. Although in the Revelation by St. John the Theologian it is written that Jesus was the firstborn from the world of the dead (Revelation 1:5), the resurrection of Jesus is neither the only, nor the first Biblical resurrection. It is the most famous one - but it is only the seventh.

[…]

The first resurrection was carried out by the Old Testament prophet Elijah. […] The second resurrection is attributed to prophet Eliseus. […] The third one of the Old Testament resurrections is also linked to prophet Eliseus - that is, to his remains. […] Before his own resurrection, Jesus resurrected three people. […] First, he raised from the dead a young man, who was a son of a widow from Naina. […] The second resurrection by Jesus, and the fifth one in the Bible, is the resurrection of Jair’s daughter (Luca 8: 49-55). […] The third one - the most famous miracle by Jesus and the sixth Biblical case, is the resurrection of Lazarus from Vitania. […] The seventh and the most significant is the resurrection of Jesus.

According to Christian learning, this last resurrection is different from others because Christ resurrected himself to live forever. He overcame death. Because of that, as St. John the Theologian wrote, Christ was the firstborn from the dead. […]

At the end of his post, Stojković repeated what he wrote at the beginning:

[…] Doubt, therefore, shouldn’t be a sin because “I have a doubt” means “I think” - and “I think” means “I exist” (cogito, ergo sum). Those who don’t have doubts – they believe. They hold hard to their faith today, 20 and more centuries after the events described in the Bible or the Koran. […]

[…] Every Easter, I ask myself what is better – to believe or to have doubt – and whether a man can choose between these at all? […]

Here is the first one of over 150 comments to this post, by Libkonz:

I think it shouldn’t deprive the man of the right to think. One thing is when he recognizes God by his own heart and quite another thing is when someone is forcing what he should think on him.

Stojković replies:

No, it is not about forcing to believe. I don’t think about that. Another, more subtle thing is at stake here. Why does the modern and very educated man in the 21st century, in spite of all the technical and scientific miracles, still believe what was written 20 and more centuries ago? This is the question that's bothering me.

Aleksandar Vasović wrote this (SRP) about the Islamic view of Jesus Christ:

Jesus, in Islam - Isa, is God's deputy who was sent to lead Israel's children into the New Testament (Indzil). According to the Koran, Maria (Maryam, Merjema) bore Isa after the immaculate conception. That was a wonderful event, directed by Allah. […]

Islam teaches that Isa will come back to Earth to establish justice and to defeat the false prophet Antichrist on the Judgment Day. As all prophets of Islam, Isa is a Muslim because he preached about accepting the right way and the faith in only one God. […]

Islam rejects the Christian teaching that Isa was God's incarnation or son; it says that he was a common man who was sent to preach God's words like all the other prophets.

In Islam, Isa has two titles: the Messiah and the Anointed. Islam teaches that Isa was Mohammad's predecessor and that he predicted the arrival of the Prophet [Mohammad].

The only other person who can come close in this regard is the late pop singer-turned national hero Toshe Proeski (1981-2007), but he has been allowed to rest in peace for the last couple of weeks, after the closure of a defamation lawsuit between his girlfriend and his manager.

Alexander III of Macedon (356 BC – 323 BC), on the other hand, has no such luck – national TV Kanal 5 this Sunday descended to a new level of Hades when it literally “raised” his spirit in a so-called news item [MKD] about a “historian” who went to Florida with a camera crew to seek the services of an allegedly famous medium to provide contact with his (sic!) ancestors. In the video, the spiritualist claims that a young man dressed in lion's skin is standing in the room, saying he went to Persia not for conquest but to seek cultural exchange, and would like to know more about the contemporary Macedonian linguistics.

Marble portrait of Alexander the Great said to be from Alexandria, Egypt (2^nd or 1^st century BC), currently in the British Museum, London, UK. Photo: Filip Stojanovski

Razvigor blog, run by the author of this article, commented [MKD] on this quasi-news item asking how come the ancestral spirit could communicate in English, a contemporary language which developed thousands of years after his death, but had no information on Macedonian, which developed in a similar manner. In addition, this “communication” did not provide any exclusive information which would have been known by the historical Alexander, such as locations of treasures that can be unearthed by archeologists and used as evidence, or known by his spirit – like the location of the grave containing his earthly remains.

Two days later, a user on the social bookmarking service Kajmak.ot “unearthed” [MKD] an obviously faux news item [SRP] from a Serbian blog about the discovery of Alexander's tomb in the south of the Republic of Macedonia, near the Greek border. The article is written with the structure of a “real” news story, but any resident of Macedonia with minimal knowledge of local geography or social issues would immediately recognize it as a joke, since all the names of official institutions, functions, locations and persons involved are nonexistent.

Screen shot of the front page of Macedonian news portal Kirilica from April 14, 2009, prominently displaying the faux news about discovery of the grave of Alexander the Great as a real news item.

During that day, a number of Macedonian media, such as the news portal Kirilica [MKD], published Macedonian translations of this “news” in its entirety, adding just a small, barely noticeable disclaimer that the content has not been confirmed. Such gossipy items did not contain any fact-checking whatsoever, nor did they include a link to the original source. During the day, the site was frequently unavailable, possibly due to bandwidth overload.

Some bloggers took the bait, like Vojvodataa, the author of the blog Radikalno, who wrote [MKD]:

Please God, let this be true. The article contains many first names and surnames, I think there is some truth in it. If this is true, Our Lord is coming to aid our century-old struggle for our name and the elements of our identity, of which Alexander of Macedon is an indivisible part.

Other bloggers, such as Mojon and Azhder, reacted with lascivious humor, inviting the media to republish their posts about a discovery of a sexy photo of Alexander's seventh grade math teacher taken with his iPhone Ancient [MKD], and finding of the two sculls of King Marko [MKD].

On the other hand, the scientifically-grounded Archeological Diary documented the whole affair, providing an overview of the sensationalist (including A1, the most influential national TV station) and more somber media coverage of this affair. The blog's author Vasilka Dimitrovska, an archeologist, wrote [MKD]:

First and foremost, any information must be checked with at least three independent sources. Good God, even I—a non journalist—know that. It is nebulous to distribute news about anything connected to archeology without going in the field, even about the tomb and the spirit of Alexander of Macedon in person. Unless one checks all the options and removes even a shadow of doubt, the scientific public should be spared of such turbulent, emotionally charged media observations.

I suppose that the historians and the archeologists will continue to keep mum about these events [MKD], just like they kept silent about the world's first hamburger, the Copper Book, the Hunza and the Kalash, the Rosetta Stone affair, etc. There's nothing worse than such silence and ignoring, because it implies silent approval of such hypotheses and theories. We as society slowly move closer to the axiom “that the land has always been ours,” aiming to provide an united and monolithic view of a historical walkabout from the Paleolithic to Tito, even though some of the episodes are not quite “safe” and lead to the above mentioned failures of reason.

The view that history is a science based on immaculate myths, lacking elements that would contradict the fragile “officially ours Macedonian evolutionist schema” deserves criticism. We do not need to lie [MKD] – the truth is enough, no matter what it is. In spite of the fact that the same tendency spans from Greece to Sweden – recent research showed that national myths of all European countries are almost identical [MKD]. Dissemination of such trivial information provides a fake image to the world about strengthening of our identity (esp. the ancient Macedonian part), while lacking the scientific approach, published scientific papers and documented archeological findings. I really can't see why we should use a technique of self-identification through denial [MKD] to confirm any type of identity.

To conclude, I think that the Macedonian journalists covering culture, and especially the topic of history->identity should get more education about archeology as a science which deals with societies of the past, not the present. I for one would speak at such a seminar or a workshop. If need be, pro bono. :-)

Gypsies protested and asked city council for other lodging in Belgrade. Instead, the authorities offered them to be moved in temporary containers to Boljevci, a small settlement about 20 kilometers from the center of Belgrade.

But residents of Boljevci protested as well. They didn’t want to give shelter to Gypsies: they threatened that they would set fire to them and their containers.

Because of this, many NGOs, which supported the Gypsies, talked about racism.

Mayor of Belgrade Dragan Đilas said that city authorities would act the same way in the future because everyone who builds house illegally on the city's public land could expect to get a new flat. According to him, these objects have been representing problem since last year because they have been making functioning and development of the city difficult. Mayor also said that these Gypsies would be moved to places from which they had come from to Belgrade. Somewhat later he said that Belgrade’s authorities could only help children and women with forced resettlement, while men would have to find their own way to move.

National television aired a statement by Srdjan Sain, president of the Gypsies' party:

We are not against sports, but we are against someone using sports for personal interests, tearing down someone else's houses.

He added that they would not allow the ethnic distance between Gypsies and others to be increased.

According to the Mondo, on Sunday, April 5, representatives of UNHCR in Serbia handed mattresses and blankets to Gypsies from New Belgrade. John Jang, UNHCR’s chief of the Service for Protection of Refugees, said to journalists that the organization has provided about 100 mattresses and blankets for Gypsies who would have to sleep somewhere until an agreement on some permanent solution has been reached with city representatives. Jang said that UNHCR did not expect that Gypsies' houses would be torn down and that not enough help would be provided, especially because there had been good collaboration with representatives of Belgrade before.

Dorit Nisom, chief of the World Health Organization in Serbia, said that she had been very proud of Serbia because of good attitudes toward Gypsies in the past, but she added that tearing down Gypsies' houses had a negative effect on the image of the country that presided over the Decade of Gypsies and is organizing the University Games.

Several days later, a group of neo-Nazis attacked Gypsies in New Belgrade.

Dusan Maljkovic wrote about that:

The evening before last night, on the night of April 6-7, at 2:30 am, a group neo-Nazis attacked Gypsies' settlement located near the shopping mall and market in New Belgrade.

According to eyewitnesses, 20-30 attackers arrived there in two pickup trucks. They were armed with knives and metal bars. Shouting, “We will move you,” they attacked a group of children, women and men who sat on the ground. Several children were injured and one man suffered a serious injury as he was hit with a bottle. Several older people fainted due to fear and panic. Neo-Nazis ran away as some 50 men from the nearby shacks organized to defend the settlement. Five or six policemen who were on duty in the settlement did not react. They said that they had no permission to get involved.

Journalists who had been reporting from the Gypsies' settlements for the past few days, didn’t report on this incident […].

On her own blog, Jasmina Tesanovic republished an open letter that 43 NGOs sent to the president of the Republic of Serbia, prime minister, vice president of Serbia’s government and the mayor of Belgrade. Here is an excerpt from this letter:

[…] Open or hidden racism toward Gypsies has never been punished up to now. At the same time, from 2000 up to now, forced moving out and tearing down have always been carried out with the help of the police.

Having in mind that Serbia is signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which guarantees the right of housing, including the right for alternative housing in the case of forced resettlement, all 47 families have to be provided with housing without delay. Citizens who will eventually be forced to move out must be taken care of in advance. […]

[…] Signatories of the letter ask the highest-ranked state officials to condemn all statements that violate the basic right to freedom of settlement for the Gypsies. That right is guaranteed by Article 39 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia. […]

[…] At the same time, the latest announcements by Belgrade’s authorities that it will take care of only women and children, while men would have to find their own way to move, represents a violation of European standards of respect for private and family life and home, which are guaranteed by Article 8 of the European Convention for Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and is confirmed in practice by the European Court for Human Rights. […]

Ten years later, Serbian bloggers are reminded of those terrible days. Below is a selection of some of their journal notes and recollections from the beginning of the war, translated from Serbian.

Dejan Jovic posted this entry:

Today NATO’s forces have attacked Yugoslavia from air, from submarines and warships. The attack began at 7pm. The first wave lasted 2 hours. About 20 targets are hit: the Police Academy in Novi Sad, airports in Batajnica and Danilovgrad (Montenegro), several barracks around Pristina and around Nis as well as factory shops of Crvena Zastava in Kragujevac. The second wave began about midnight and it is still going (now it is 00.45. (Yugoslavia declared the state of war. The last night Veran Matic was arrested and B92 was closed. Now only national stations and agencies can broadcast. Journalists from countries which are members of NATO, including BBC, can report only by phone. Twenty-five journalists have been arrested temporarily so far and one is beaten. Because of all that, there are very little video reports but it is absolutely clear that the attack was very very strong. […]

[…] Milosevic says that he is for peace and agreement. It is not possible to appraise why he says that – whether because he wants to inform NATO that he is ready to withdraw himself or because he wants to justify a lengthy war. In this moment it seems that he can’t withdraw himself very easily. I don’t know how he could be more cooperative with the West after this bombing, if he couldn’t do that before it. Also, people are much more anti- West than they were several days ago. [The West] forgets that Milosevic is a legally chosen president and that he is not without support of voters like Saddam Hussein.

News at 1 am. Russia and China condemned aggression. Russia asks session of the Security Council. For this attack, Clinton and Blair condemn Milosevic directly. Clinton compares Kosovo with Bosnia and mentions hesitation in the first and second world war. India condemned action of members of NATO because they ignored the United Nations. India also says that NATO became an instrument for realization of goals of ethnic separatists and that could be the case in the Kashmir […]

Angie01, in her blog titled ”Notes of Madness”, wrote:

[…] In the evening I come out on my spacious balcony and smoke. I notice some unusual and big star which is very near by me. I don’t know from where it is here. I’ve never seen it before. I call my family. Everyone feels uneasy. No one know what's happened.

A little later, I talk on the phone with my sister from the bathroom. In the middle of a sentence there's a strange sound.

She asked me what that was. I don’t know. “What can we do now?” she asked. I don’t know. I go to see. I open the door. And then I hear zvvviiiiijuuuu. The red-yellow light filled the room. Then there was an explosion. It was strong, destructive and full of dark forebodings.

Everyone is frozen at the moment. And then one more bomb explodes.

You can hear screaming all over the hallways, people are running, children are crying. You can hear people calling over the floors.

Neighbors ring our doorbell. They said that we should go to the bomb shelter. […]

[…] Girls are throwing up inside. Some old women faint. My neighbor squats with a baby in her arms… there is no air, there is only stench and fear. Everything has changed in 20 minutes. […]

[…] A neighbor, a refugee from Bosnia, arrives. He said that he came for us. And he added that the bomb shelters were not suitable for those bombs. If they were hit, they might turn into tombstones over us. And we leave and never come back there.

This is how it began. […]

Readers commented on Angie01's post. Here are some of the comments:

Vidomir Pavlovic:

I was sitting 100 meters away from the barracks in Sremska Mitrovica when a rocket whistled over my head. It was ghastly…

Then one young woman was killed. She came out right after the detonation to see what happened, to see where the rocket hit. She was about 1 kilometer away from the barracks and was hit by shrapnel. It pounded into her head or breast. I forgot. But she was dead on the spot, on the balcony on the first floor. She had just moved into that flat…

She had two little children…

Bili Piton:

One doesn’t know whether one hates more those who bombed or those who caused it.

Sybil:

[…] The maniac [Slobodan Milosevic, then president of Serbia and Montenegro] has burdened us with the bombing by 19 most civilized countries. The biggest disappointment after the bombing was that he kept his seat and Kosovo was lost. It would have been better the other way around. […]

Pix3lchick:

[…] Sadness, hopelessness and depression because of fact that, after 10 years, he [Milosevic] is still alive through the current ministers' statements, in which they says that the bombing happened because of false accusations of ethnic cleansing. (From where did the refrigerator trucks come to us?)

Jasmina Tesanovic wrote in her blog titled “La vita e' bella” ('Life is beautiful'):

March 26, 1999 - 5 PM:

I hope that we all will survive this war: Serbs, Albanians, good and bad boys, those who took weapons, those who deserted, Kosovo’s refugees who are roaming through the forests and Belgrade’s refugees who are roaming the streets with children in arms and running to find the nonexistent bomb shelters when they hear the sirens. I hope that NATO’s pilots will not leave their wives and children forever. I saw them on CNN, how they cried while their husbands were preparing to attack targets in Serbia. I hope that we all will survive, but the world will not stay the same. […]

Photo by Goran Necin

American photojournalist and correspondent Russell Gordon will sue Republic of Serbia for human rights violations that happened while he was in Belgrade Central Prison. Gordon spent 48 hours in detention where he was physically and psychologically harassed. He added he would sue Serbian government, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Justice to local and European Human Rights Courts.

Gordon was arrested on Monday, because he broke a window on a court in Sopot. He was revolted after the court session, because authorities have not reacted to protect him and his wife Jelena Kajtaz from serious threats.

Goran Necin published part of letter sent by Russell Gordon to his colleagues (SRP):

[…] I am a physically disabled man, with a deteriorating spine from a spinal injury. I walk with a cane, need weekly medical therapy to live and function adequately, and must not use my spine physically. I was at first given a thin wooden board to sleep on, placed on a frame of 5 metal tubes, with two nails sticking up out of it. I respectfully requested a mattress several times, but the guards said there weren't any, and slammed the door. I made the best I could, turning the nails away, and putting my blankets on it.

I was called for medical interview, where I mentioned my spinal injury and condition, gout, irritable bowel disorder (genetic) and allergy to all milk products. Fortunately the doctors ordered a mattress, which saved my spine much, but not all, pain.

The whole time I was there I requested either a bit of toilet paper or a piece of newspaper to wipe myself with after using the turkish-style crapper. I was respectful and refused belligerently each time. Luckily one guard had let me bring in a large Ayn Rand book; good thinking.

By last day I was enraged, and cursed a sadistic guard. He opened the door and threatened me, but was surprised when I responded by getting off my top bunk, and approaching, ready. He withdrew and called his colleagues.

His boss informed me I could not have any toilet or other paper, that I would have to request it in writing. Then I would get it the next day as humanitarian aid. I repeatedly warned them that the treatment I was receiving was incorrect, to which they laughed and insulted.

First night only water. Next afternoon bread and cheese — which I could not eat from allergy, due to milk. Lunch included yoghurt. I ate a bit of goulash, but suspecting more lactose products, and refused to eat further.

When it was time to be released, due to extensive local Serbian press coverage and public sympathy, the guards made me carry my belongings, plus two blankets, shoes, plate and spoon, in one arm which I could not do, as I walk with a cane. I told them I was handicapped and had a serious spinal injury, and needed to at least carry the blankets on my shoulders, and at least 4 times a group of 10 guards taunted me, made fun of my disability, and ordered me to place everything on the floor, stand up, bend down, pick up, bend down and repeat. They had done similar with me having to climb up and down from a top bunk as well.

I warned them that there would be repercussions for Serbia, but that only increased their laughing, insults, humiliation and taunting. By then I could feel the swelling starting in my spine, and the increasing pain, aggravated by the 48 hours on that bed.

Russia's own entry is causing controversy now as well, however. Andy of Siberian Light explains:

In a move sure to delight conspiracy theorists and bloggers everywhere, Mam[o] by Anastasia Prikhodko was picked to represent Russia at this year’s Eurovision.

The controversy? Well, Prikhodko is Ukrainian, and Mamo is sung partly in Russian and partly in - gasp - Ukrainian. Oh yes, and Prikhodko only entered the Russian qualification contest after she’d been kicked out of the Ukrainian qualification contest. […]

Here are Andy's thoughts on the geopolitical dimension of Russia's entry - and a forecast of sorts:

[…] Anyways, personally I think it’s a bit of a coup for Russia. They not only get to put one over arch enemies Georgia, who have entered a grumpy song about how they don’t like Putin - they get to claim that in Russia, music is all about peace and goodwill between neighbours. Oh, and that they like Ukrainians, really.

And, actually, I think the song’s ok - it’s not great, but Russia certainly won’t be disgraced in May. […]

Vasyl of uaMuzik wrote this about Russia's entry - as well as the Ukrainian one:

[…] Now let's go down to ringside here at the WMSC (World Mudslinging Song Contest) to hear he announcer's opening words. “In the right corner representing the host country of Russia, last year's Eurovision winner, we have from Ukraine, Anastasia Prykhodko singing Mamo. Her opponent in the left corner, formerly of Via Gra, Russia's T&A project for the 21st century, we have Svitlana Loboda!”

In all honesty folks, this is really what this whole thing has come down to, for all it's worth. In fact some Russians are fuming that a Ukrainian, would be representing them at this year's ESC and sing not in solely Russian or English for that matter, but heaven forbid, the chorus of her song in Ukrainian using the vocative case, which doesn't exist in the Russian language… […]

While there is talk of suspected vote-rigging in Anastasia Prykhodko's case, this isn't a uniquely Russian problem. Belgraded - in a review of “Balkan Eurosong losers of 2009″ - writes this about the winning entries:

[…] Connections with the people counting the votes are always important for Balkanian qualification finals, and this year’s local competitions were no exception. To see who had the best connections and/or managed to offer most money to the jury, go to Balkan File. […]

Balkan File, it should be noted, isn't too optimistic about “Eurovision Hopefuls” from “the former Yugoslavia, plus Albania”:

[…] Will Eurovision return to the region next year after a short break in Russia? Probably not. […]

Back to the actual “losers,” here is what Belgraded writes about the Serbian ones:

[…] Best Serbian losers we’ve had in years – they have it all: opera, gay love between the Matrix priest and the high ranking army official, communist babes, and opera. Yes, I know I already said opera. Some people claim to hear ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘You’ll never walk alone’ tunes in there somewhere but I just can’t concentrate enough to spot them. […]

And here's a video of the performers described above:

In the comments section to this post, Sajkaca wrote:

Let’s be honest, if there would be just some good songs with traditional performance, nobody would watch Eurovision Contest. It’s a magnet because you know it can get embarassing! […]

Jelena talked to the class of Serbian Web Journalism School. Her talk was part of a Facebook activism lecture. Students made a Cause Page on Facebook to promote this and similar cases. More than 250 individuals joined the Cause Page. Dragana Banković, Goran Necin and Dragan Milošević published stories about what happened to Jelena and her family in an effort to spread the word about the case. They wrote (SRB):

A drug-addict in Serbia can threaten his child’s life during court-ordered child visitation privileges. This story is for those who are worrying about established laws. Or for those who should be worrying.

This is the story about government institutions which don’t seem to be able – or willing – to protect a mother and child from a dangerous drug addict. Without any intention to prejudge the authorities, by writing this text we only want to draw the public’s attention to this issue.

Who?
Jelena is the mother of a four-year-old child. After three years of marriage, she divorced from her husband - a drug addict. She divorced because of his addiction and pathological behavior. Then she moved far away, in order to start new life, and eventually found a new man. Thereupon the problems started. The ex-husband is not satisfied with the fact that he can see his child only once in two weeks during the weekend. He comes to their door under the influence of drugs and alcohol, making verbal threats, and even banging on the doors and windows with hooligans. All that Jelena, her new husband and her child hear from official departments is that their peace and security is not their concern.

What?
From Clause 173 of Procedural Law, Chapter 11, about submissions and reports: “The obligation of the court of law is to protect his reputation and reputation of clients and other participants from insults, threats and any other attack”. The court of law must do their jobs… and police should do their jobs too!

Where?
This family bought a small house and orchard in the rural outskirts south of Belgrade. In the remote location, they are alone and vulnerable to attack (and the Belgrade Court told Jelena they cannot authorize her to legally purchase a firearm until the issue with her ex-husband is resolved!)

How can we help?
Time is critical for Jelena and her young son. If you do it, then do it for real. If we want to help, the ideas have to be materialized: mother and her child must have adequate help. In this case that means protection.

When?
The best help is when it is on time and totally. The answer to the question “When” is the same for you and court of law and police and social work institutions. The answer is NOW.