LAW & ORDER & JUSTICE FOR ALL 

A new law regarding 'animal welfare' is being presented to the Serbian parliament in the next few weeks. The Serbian Government is claiming that the new (proposed) legislation will be excellent because, animals (ie street strays) which have been rounded up by the Serbian authorities will be kept in pounds for 30 days before they are destroyed. They declare this is much better than many EU nations, who kill animals after 7-15 days. This is the 'sweetner' being used to push through the new legislation – ie. Serbia is better than much of Europe because it keeps animals alive for longer.
The proposed legislation, which will be Article 73., states that after 30 days, stray dogs and cats can be euthanased if nobody adopts them.

What this legislation will do is, stray animals the entire length of Serbia who have been rounded up will be killed after maximum 30 days in the local pound, and if they have not been adopted, of which there is a very slim chance. From data I have been provided with from inside Serbia, this could mean a potential 1,000 stray dogs and cats being destroyed. There are big concerns amongst Serbian welfare campaigners that animals captured could be destroyed within only a few days, and the necessary paperwork adopted to show animals have reached the end of their 30 day period.

  
Instead of a time period of 30 days being defined as the maximum for keeping animals within the pound before commencing their destruction, we require that instead of this legislation defines that there is NO MAXIMUM period of time defined by law, and that whit the help and assistance of animal welfare organisations, animals can be kept within the pounds indefinitely,until the necessary sterilisation, vaccination, mark and fitting of ident tags to the animal(s) is undertaken.Then,and only then, can the animal(s) be released back onto the street – as a tampon solution ,if necessary and IF no other alternative such as adoption, can be achieved .
Some Serbian welfare organisations, including EPAR, have written to the Serbian Veterinary Department many times in opposition to this newly proposed legislation. ORCA, Belgrade's animal welfare organisation, has been one of the co-authors of this legislation.
The approval of ritual slaughtering will also be approved if this legislation is sanctioned. ( Article 26., 43., 45. ).
We require : every ritual slaughtering of animals to be banned - because that is the case of the extreme cruelty, and because no God asked for animals to be sacrificed..

                                      
Article 47. – write about permit of unnecessary experiments on Vertebrata .
We demand : EXPERIMENTS on Vertebrata to be banned, because their results are not significatnt for humans.

We demand: HUNTING to be banned , as very cruel activity whitch no sports-man can call a sport..

 

Current Serbian national legislation already exists for the protection of stray and street animals. Unfortunately, implementation is being routinely ignored by authorities and politicians right across Serbia. Serbian National Legislation for animals includes:
- from 1st January 2006, the Criminal Code of Serbia. Article 269,
Paragraph 1: anyone who is cruel to, inflicts violence or kills an animal as defined by this law, must be punished by up to a 6 month prison sentence;
Paragraph 2: if suffering or death is carried out on more than one animal, the person who inflicted this suffering can be sentenced with up to 3 years imprisonment.
any person who is cruel, violent or inflicts death on any animal making up the 'special protection' group of animals (as for example, the wolf or the brown bear) can again be sentenced to up to 3 years imprisonment.
In addition to Article 269, Article 46 of the Serbian Veterinary Law declares:
that animals have a right to life. There is no law declaring euthanasia has to be undertaken as a means of stray / street animal control.
each local community in Serbia has an obligation to provide care for abandoned dogs and cats
each community has an obligation to finance stray animal care, including the building of shelters
each community has an obligation to finance sterilisation, medical care and food for the (stray) animals
volunteer prizes can be given as an alternative for payment to people who volunteer and are directly involved with jobs that include the care and protection of abandoned / stray dogs and cats.
Since CURRENT Serbian Veterinary law does not allow the killing of stray animals, money which is currently being used by authorities for illegal animal killings in the communities should actually be re-directed into providing care for those same animals. This is exactly what Article 46 of the Serbian Veterinary Law declares.
The real answer to the massive street animal population in Serbia is for all authorities to adopt a sterilisation programme. Some sterilisation is being done in certain regions but nowhere near enough. Even animals which have been sterilised and are then returned to the street with idents on them to show this, are still being rounded up again by the Shinters (round up / kill teams), put back into the compounds and eventually killed !
This newly proposed legislation will basically give carte blanche to the authorities to do exactly what they want to with animals lives. The 30 day retention period will not be adhered to and many animals will be killed or sold on to the labs before this. Serbia simply sees this new legislation as a way of ridding the streets of stray animals under alleged 'vary good, better than the EU' wording. IT IS NOT, but simply a Passport to the Serbian Government to kill, kill,kill.
Once this legislation has possibly been approved, Serbia will then press on for Accession (membership) of the European Union.
At a meeting with campaigners this very week,mrs Sanja Celebicanin-Chief of Veterinary Inspections of Serbia , declared that e mail correspondence is NOT counted as useful by the Serbian authorities/Government; only hard (written) mail.. Her address is:
Sanja Celebicanin, Nacelnik Veterinarske Inspekcije, Uprava za veterinu
Omladinskih brigada 1, 11070 Beograd, Serbia
She asked that people do not to write her as much as they have done because she was very busy, clearing the way for street animals to go to the labs no doubt !

Following are : the Important contact addresses of persons within the Serbian Government / Authorities who can be contacted regarding the above issues are:
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS by POSTAL ADDRESSES OF PRESIDENT and PRIME MINISTER OF SERBIA,and to them too ,and others below ,please send Your letter by e-mail
President of the Republic of Serbia - Mr. Boris Tadic ,Andricev venac 1, 11000 Beograd, Srbija
kontakt@predsednik.yu
2. Prime Minister of the Serbian Government - Mr.Vojislav Kostunica, Nemanjina 11, 11000 Beograd
Srbija, E-Mail:lgvozden@sr.gov.yu,mmarkovic@sr.gov.yu
3. Deputy Public Attorney General of the Republic of Serbia:
- Mrs.Gordana Stojanovic Milosevic rjtdz@bitsyu.net
4. Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Serbia:
- Mr.Slobodan Milosavljevic (a member of the Democracy Party of Mr. Boris Tadic)
Nemanjina 22-26, 11000 Beograd, Srbija
E-Mail: kabinet@minpolj.sr.gov.yu,
slobodan.milosavljevic@sr.gov.yu, slobodanmilosavljevic@sr.gov.yu
6. Minister of Justice of the Republic of Serbia- Mr.Dusan Petrovic
kabinet@mpravde.sr.gov.yu
(also a member of the Democracy Party of Mr. Boris Tadic)
7. Democracy Party -Mr.Dragin - Telephone ++381 11 344 3003 and e-mail
address press@ds.org.yu


Thank You!!
more info on Serbian situation:
www.C4SAIN.bravehost.com , www.epar.org.yu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: "epar" epar@yunord.net >>>Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:55 AM>>>Subject: Negotin /Monday Killings ?  > Dear  friends> dogs in Negotin city pound are still in life .There are more then 20 dogs .    > These dogs have less then 24 h  ...Will they go  away ....for ever ?> They are joung, healthy, they love life , they fear death...it is very cold,> but they are on concrete floor , and they are hunger  and thirsty> You can  send sms or phone  to  these  3  responsible persons : > 1.> Chief of vet inspection of Serbia mrs Sanja Celebicanion  - she can stop this madness right now:> mobil ++381 63 753 105    > 2. Chief  vet insp of region of Bor , mrs Dragana Antic -  she can stop this> madness right now ,> ++381 64 86 80 257   > 3. Director of veterinary Department of Ministry of Agriculture, mr. Marinkovic> ++ 381 63 607 489   and ++ 381 64 868 00 00   > please call them or  send them  sms , these are telephone numbers of official mobil> phones.> with this  3, or even 1    short call or sms, You can save life of these> poor dogs.> Please, do it  ! These dogs very  trust  humans , and very love  humans .> Please help dogs or they will be killed on Monday morning  - with T-61 !   > Thank You> > Slavica Mazak Beslic> Friend-EPAR/OIPA/Alliance for Animal Rights> www.epar.org.yu> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/serbia-suffering 

 

Negotin dogs are saved!! Monday, 7:27 PM Von: Mark Johnson >>Gesendet: Montag, 18. Februar 2008 16:14>>>An: Howlingwolf>>>>Betreff: Serbian Dogs/Negotin are now SAVED !  >>> The dogs held for the last 3 days plus without food or water at Negotin pound have now all been saved and are currently travelling to the No Kill shelter run by campaigners.  Slavica's e mails are given below. Thanks to everyone who, e mailed, phoned, texted, and did whatever. - it has been a stressful weekend but the result has been what we were all hoping for; the dogs are all saved. The attached photo shows the dogs at the city pound awaiting their original fate at the weekend; hungry, thirsty and exposed to extreme night time temperatures. Thanks all - this weekend YOU HAVE REALLY MADE THE DIFFERENCE FOR ALL THESE GUYS !>>Regards Mark J. >> PS - This is another small victory, but many animals are being killed in serbia daily by the authorities.  They must be informed that the national Serbian legislation must be enforced.

From: epar
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 8:08 PM
Subject: 60 dogs and many cats will be KILLED -we have 36h for rescue them

Again in NIS , AGAIN MASS KILLINGS .
Yesterday killed 20 dogs in OVCA, Belgrade and sterilized 15.

We just receive information that on Monday morning 7,30h , on city dump in Nis town, 60 dogs and some cats -they even don`t count cats - will be killed .
Brother Davkovski- vets , never stoped their work - killings, in spite Director of veterinary of Serbia, Mr. Marinkovic demand CARE , and in spite this place on city dump is , from 4-th July, 2007. - place for care , not place for killings -because so demand Mr. Marinkovic, because so command LAW of veterinary.
Please call vet who will kill these dogs - and ask STOP , because it is need time for contact to Mr. Marinkovic and Mrs Sanja Celebicanin in this matter- because;
killing will be on Monday at 7,30 h , but mr.Marinkovic and mrs Sanja Celebicanin start with their work-time at 8,30 ( sometimes at 9 h am).
Official mobil phone of Mr. Marinkovic ++381 63 607 489 , and
++381 64 86 80 000;

Official mobil phone of republic vet inspector of NIS- Mr. Ivan Lozo ++381 63 573 372
He can stop this killing on Monday befor The Contact with Marinkovic.
We are realy desperate.Marinkovic said ONE, THEY MAKE OTHERS.
Exuse me
Thank You
Slavica

Please write and ask that the 30 day stray animal legislation and that also associated with all religious/ritual slaughter is completely REMOVED from the proposed Serbian legislation scheduled for the next Parliamentary session. Instead of a time period of 30 days being defined as the maximum for keeping animals within the pound before commencing their destruction, Serbian animal welfare organisations require that instead of this, legislation defines that there is ‘NO MAXIMUM’ period of time defined by law, and that with the help and assistance of animal welfare organisations, animals can be kept within the pounds indefinitely, until the necessary sterilisation, vaccination and fitting of ident tags to the animal(s) is undertaken. Then, and only then, can the animal(s) be released back onto the street, if necessary and if no other alternative, such as adoption, can be achieved. - A no kill sterilisation policy is the ONLY WAY to control street animal numbers for the future.