Otpor

The movement Otpor , in Serb Cyrillic Sr Отпор (“Resistance”), is an political organization, generally considered as one of the major actors of the fall of the mode of Slobodan Milošević.

Organization

Whereas the Serb political community was strongly discredited or in exile, the Otpor movement mainly developed apart from the structures of the traditional opposition, under the impulse of young students in first university cycle.

Program

The primary goal was of course the inversion of Slobodan Milošević. He aspired thereafter to bring Serbia closer to the Western standards as regards respect of the human rights and the civil liberties, market economy, democratic institutions. It was finally a question of leaving the country its insulation, to fight against corruption, and of privatiser the economy “on an equitable basis”.

Techniques

The organization of the movement was characterized by a relatively plane hierarchical structure. This structure was a means of defense against repression: to limit the impact of the arrest of the executives. It was also an application of the ideology of individual resistance Non violent conveyed by Otpor (see also non-violent Conflit).

Before the fall of Milošević, it had launched two simultaneous campaigns:

“Gotov I” (“It is finished! ”) to denounce the mode using slogans convex on the walls of the big cities of Serbia and steps of protest.
“It is time” to convince people to vote by organizing cultural meetings, meetings and by organizing demonstrations of support abroad.

Symbol

The logo of the movement, the fist closed on black bottom, is a parody of the symbol Bolshevik used by the mode.

History of the movement

Formation

In December 1989 Slobodan Milošević is elected with the presidency of Serbia.

In 1996 and 1997, demonstrations against the electoral frauds of the mode fail because of divisions of the opposition. The repression of the mode against the freedom of thought is accentuated, in particular in the student medium.

In September 1998 eleven student organizations write the Declaration for the future of Serbia: departure of Milošević, the organization of free elections and re-establishment of the civil liberties constitute the bases of them.

In October 1998, of the students of the Université of Belgrade require the resignation of the senior, shown to be the relay of the policy of oppression of the mode. The Otpor movement acquires its first political visibility after the arrest of four militants to have painted black fists on walls of buildings. After three months of demonstrations the senior is however revoked, the movement diffuses himself gradually in the remainder of the country. At the end of 1999 it counts: 4000 members.

beginning 2000 of many Serbes young people go to Hungary, officially to visit the monastery of Feels Andrej. In fact, they have appointment with the Hilton hotel of Budapest to follow, with Robert Helvey, a formation with the techniques of non-violent resistance of Gene Sharp. It also come into contact with Polish militants of Solidarność and the Slovak ones of OK' 98.

Fall of Milošević

The weeks preceding the poll by the September 24th 2000, repression with regard to the movement is accentuated: searchings and interpellations follow one another. The Otpor movement counted then approximately: 35000 members.

The movement contributes to create a coalition of eighteen parties within Democratic opposition (DOS), represented by the moderate nationalist Vojislav Koštunica. This one conducts a campaign at the same time against Milošević and NATO, hated after the consecutive bombardments with the crisis of the Kosovo.

The results being unfavourable to him, Slobodan Milošević cancels the elections. A general strike paralyzes the country then. The October 5th 2000, the militants of Otpor take part massively in “Walk on Belgrade” which mobilizes: 700000 people. The 6, Vojislav Kostunica is elected with the presidency of the Republic.

The political party

After the fall of Milošević, the movement remained made up with the objective to prevent corruption. It however strongly reduces its activity and of many Serb disunite movement gradually. Otpor tries thereafter to be converted into political party. With only 1,6% of the voices to the legislative elections of 2003, it does not obtain any parliamentary mandate.

Otpor amalgamates then with the Democratic party (DS) of the president Boris Tadic. Certain militants move away then from Otpor and found ONG “Centers for non-violent resistance” intended to export the techniques of disputes of the movement.

International action

This ONG organizes training seminars with the fight against the electoral frauds in old satellites Soviet. Their objective is to make share their experiment to organize protest movements nonviolent. Its influence on the movement Kmara, even strongly implied to him in the Revolution of the pinks in Georgia, is proven.

In Ukraine it would have assisted the organization Pora which was very active during the Orange revolution of December 2004. The bonds between the two organizations would go back to March 2003. In April 2004 eighteen members of Pora one assisted with a seminar with Novi Sad, the north of Serbia. A member of the “Center for non-violent resistance”, Aleksandar Maric was expelled of Ukraine little before the elections.

ONG is also in relation to MJAFT! in Albania. She collaborates finally with Zubr in Bielorussia, which tried in 2001, 2004 and 2006 to put an end to the authoritarian regime Aliaksandr Loukachenka.

Controversies

The partisans of the mode of Milošević denounced Otpor as being an insurrectionary organization of extreme right-hand side aiming at destabilizing the country for the account of foreign powers.

The organization hidden forever that a considerable share of its financings comes from the occident. Historically, the United States was the first to answer favorably at the requests of funds. It is thus not astonishing that the wire of the various crises, the modes blamed reproached the organizations affiliated to the “Center for non-violent resistance” to be only emanation of the secret services of the the United States.

Robert Helvey was thus elected by the republican International institute (IRI) which would be only one frontage of the CIA. In the same way ONG American Freedom House engaged two frameworks of the “Center for non-violent resistance”, Aleksandar Maric and Stanko Lazendic, as advisers in Ukraine. This ONG aims to export the American values and its current president James Woolsey was director of the CIA of 1993 with 1995.

See too

http://www.fidh.org/article.php3?id_article=1102
http://www.cafebabel.com/fr/article.asp?T=T&Id=2832
http://www.unesco.org/courier/2001_03/fr/droits.htm

n° of the December 10th 2004 of the daily newspaper Time

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