IWA-AIT Secretariat arrested by Serbian authorities

Update #5 : MUP nab embassy attack suspects, B92, September 5, 2009 | Members of the “Black Elijah” custody for the attack on the Greek Embassy, RTV, September 5, 2009: The investigating judge of the District Court in Belgrade, Ivana Ramić, has ordered Ratibor, Tadej, Ivan Vulovic, Sanja and Ivan Savic to 30 days detention on the basis that, if not detained, the suspects represented a flight risk and a risk to witnesses. In addition, the five are suspected of having committed a crime of international terrorism.

Update #4 : Uhapšeni bacači Molotovljevih koktela, Politika novine i Magazini, September 5, 2009: Basically reiterates previous reports, but w/- BONUS! pictures of Tadej, Ivan, Sanja, Nikola and Ratibor, presumably sourced from police.

Update #3 : Belgrade: anarchists arrested; state attorney seeks international terrorism charge, libcom.org, September 4, 2009. The ASI website — http://inicijativa.org — now appears to be back up.

Update #2 : MUP : Uhapšen i peti osumnjičeni za napad na grčku ambasadu, 04. septembar 2009. 19:40 (izvor : Tanjug, Beta):

Policija je uhapsila i petog osumnjičenog za napad “molotovljevim koktelima” na zgradu Ambasade Republike Grčke u Beogradu – saopštilo je danas Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova Srbije. Kako se navodi, uhapšen je Nikola Mitrović koji će biti priveden dežurnom istražnom sudiji Okružnog suda u Beogradu. MUP je ranije danas saopštio da su slobode lišena tri mladića i jedna devojka, aktivisti takozvane “Anarhosindikalne inicijative”, zbog sumnje da su 25. avgusta rano ujutru bacili dve zapaljive boce na zgradu grčke ambasade. Ratibor Trivunac, Tadej Kurepa, Ivan Vulović i Sanja Đokić su osumnjičeni da su zajedno sa Ivanom Savićem i Nikolom Mitrovićem, koji su trenutno u bekstvu, izvršili krivično delo međunarodnog terorizma. Beogradski mediji su posle incidenta prenosili informacije da su pripadnici “Anarhosindikalne inicijative” napali ambasadu jer su, kako se navodi na srpskim anarhističkim sajtovima, želeli da takvim činom izraze solidarnost sa uhapšenim grčkim istomišljenicima.

MIA: He was arrested a fifth suspect for the attack on the Greek Embassy 04th September 2009. 19:40 (Source: Beta, Beta) Police have arrested the fifth suspect for the attack ‘Molotov cocktail’ in the building of the Embassy of Greece in Belgrade – said today the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia. As stated, was arrested Nikola Mitrovic, which will be brought before the investigating judge supervising the Belgrade District Court. Interior Ministry announced earlier today that three young men deprived of their liberty and one girl, activists called ‘Anarhosindikalne initiatives’, on suspicion that on 25 August early morning threw two bottles of flammable building of the Greek Embassy. Ratibor Trivunac, Tadej Kurepa, Ivan Vulovic and Sanja Djokic they suspect that along with Ivan Savic and Nikola Mitrovic, who are currently at large, committed a crime of international terrorism. Belgrade media after the incident passed information to the members’ initiatives Anarhosindikalne “attacked the embassy because, as stated in the Serbian anarchist sites, such act would like to express solidarity with the arrested Greek like-minded.

Update #1 : It appears that four, not three, ASI members have been arrested — Ratibor Trivunac, Thaddaeus Kurepa, Ivan Vulovic and Sanja Djokic. Two other individuals wanted by police — Ivan Savic and Nikola Mitrovic — remain at large. The six are being accused of ‘international terrorism’ as a result of Molis being thrown at the Greek Embassy in Belgrade on August 25.

Uhapšeni osumnjičeni za napada na grčku ambasadu, Press Online, September 4, 2009 [machinetranslation]:

The arrested suspects for the attack on the Greek Embassy Police arrested three young men and women of the doubt to the end of August, threw two [Molotov] cocktails at the building of the Greek Embassy in Belgrade announced today the Interior Ministry were arrested activists [Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative’ (ASI)] Ratibor Trivunac (28), Thaddaeus Kurepa (24), Ivan Vulovic (24) and Sanja Djokic (19), said in a statement. They suspect that, together with Ivan Savic (25) and Nikola Mitrovic (29), who are on the run, made a criminal offense international terrorism. “suspect on 25 August, about three o’clock in the morning, initially wrote the graffiti on the facade, and then threw two [Molotov] cocktails – bottles with burning gasoline on the building of the Embassy of Greece in French Street in Belgrade, police added. Four were arrested, along with criminal charges, brought supervising the investigative judge of the District Court in Belgrade, police said.

By way of @-Infos…

Three members of the ‘Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative’ (ASI) in Belgrade, Serbia — Ratibor Trivunac (IWA-AIT General Secretary), Tadej Kurepa and Ivan Vulovic — were arrested September 3 and charged with “causing general public danger”. It is unconfirmed if other comrades have been arrested.

It is the second time this year that Ratibor has been arrested, having been detained by police in May.

Comrades in Serbia are trying to get in touch with the trio’s lawyers in order to establish the exact charges against them, and their legal status.

Both the ASI and IWA-AIT sites appear to be down at the moment:

http://inicijativa.org
http://iwa-ait.org/

Otherwise…

http://www.kontra-punkt.info/

Note that on August 25 Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Greek Embassy in Belgrade; a group calling itself ‘Black Ilija’ apparently claimed responsibility (Serbian anarchists claim to have nothing with ‘Black Ilija’, A.Ž. Adžić, Blic Online, August 28, 2009).

See also : Once more on fascism knocking on the Balkan doors, Hajrudin Somun, Today’s Zaman, August 31, 2009: “There are a few reasons driving me to tackle for the second time in a year the phenomenon of increasing neo-fascist and neo-Nazi sentiment and activity in the southeastern parts of Europe…”

Previously…

Represión en Serbia contra la Secretaría de la AIT-IWA, KAOSENLARED.NET, August 28, 2009:

Dear comrades,

We would like to inform you that Serbian police is trying to frame a case against members of IWA Secretariat, claiming in the media that they are suspecting that Ratibor Trivunac is involved in the incident from two days ago (‘Police suspecting Trivunac for an attack o­n a Greek embassy in Belgrade’) [snip] when an unknown Anarchist group ‘Crni Ilija’ has thrown two Molotov cocktails at the Greek embassy in Belgrade in solidarity with the imprisoned Greek anarchist Thodoros Iliopoulos, who is o­n the hunger strike for more than a month. The linked text is just o­ne of many speculating about the case with wild allegations thrown around. We are trying to present our point of view, and get a chance in some media, but there is a pressure building up and we are now waiting for actions of police, which is claiming to be building up evidence. Of course, the whole case is a farce, and we are sure that no reliable evidence that would implicate us can be found. But, we fear that there is a possibility of arrest of some of us, and we want to inform you that we’ll do everything in our power to maintain the IWA – AIT Secretariat safe.

For the time being the cellular telephone number of the Secretariat is still available and usable, and if anything changes in that sense comrades will be informed.

Salud, Anarquia y Colectivismo!

Ratibor Trivunac (on behalf of IWA Secretariat).