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Jailed for spraying anti-Milosevic graffiti

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September 16, 2000. General elections in Yugoslavia are scheduled for September 24, 2000. Kostunica's eyes on the poster gaze straight ahead with the words in Cyrillic asking "Who today can speak for us all" and "Down with Milosevic"(AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

September 18, 2000 

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) - Three student activists were sentenced to more than a month in prison Sunday for spraying anti-government graffiti in the capital, as authorities' attempt to silence opposition voices a week ahead of key Yugoslav elections.

A Serbian court sentenced the members of the anti-government, student-run organization Otpor, or Resistance, to 50 days in prison each for spraying

"He's finished" on buildings in a Belgrade suburb. They were found guilty of violating "law and order" for painting the slogan Saturday, which refers to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

Milosevic hopes to be re-elected president in Sept. 24 elections, but independent polls have shown him trailing the leading opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica.

"This is another sign of rising repression and the weakness of the regime which is afraid of the elections," said Milos Milenkovic, an Otpor leader.

Kostunica warned Saturday evening Milosevic will use "thugs and liars" to rig the upcoming ballot if necessary just to stay in power.

	Opposition supporters raise posters backing opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica at a pre-election rally of DOS-Democratic Opposition of Serbia, in the Serbian town of Novi Sad, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Belgrade, Sathurday, September 16, 2000. General elections in Yugoslavia are scheduled for September 24, 2000. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

But we will cast more votes than they can steal," Kostunica said at a rally in the country's main northern city, Novi Sad. The crowd responded by cheering "He's finished."

Independent Beta news agency reported Sunday 15 activists from the non-governmental Center for Free Elections and Democracy were arrested while attending a course for elections monitors in the central Serbian town of Knic.

The group, which hopes to monitor the ballot, has been targeted by the authorities that raided several of their offices in recent days, seizing files and computers and labeling its activists as "traitors" financed by Milosevic's Western foes.

Over the past three days, dozens of independent activists have been detained, at least briefly, by police. Some of them accused the police of beating them while in detention.