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Yugoslavia Intellectual Opposition Groups
The writers' associations of several republics developed
large followings in the 1980s. The Serbian and Slovenian
associations exchanged polemics from opposite sides of the Kosovo
issue, echoing the positions of their respective republics. The
national Writers' Association of Yugoslavia held only two
congresses between 1965 and 1985 because of regional squabbles
within the umbrella organization. However, in the late 1980s the
Slovenian and Serbian associations expressed similar positions on
issues such as diversification of political parties, the danger
of dictatorship, and human rights. In 1982 the Serbian Writers'
Association, which was especially well organized and influential,
formed the Committee for the Protection of Artistic Freedom in
response to the political trial of poet Gojko Djogo. In 1986 the
Committee for the Protection of Humanity and the Environment was
formed under the auspices of the Serbian association, and it was
given legal status by the government. The writers' groups used
forums such as press conferences and open letters to express
harsh criticism of Yugoslav political life. The 1984 trial of the
Belgrade Six caused Dobrica Cosic to form the Committee for the
Defense of Freedom of Thought and Expression. This group of
highly respected intellectuals issued petitions for drastic
political change, and, despite being officially illegal, it was
able to meet openly because of the stature of its members.
Generally speaking, Serbia produced the most vigorous and
varied intellectual dissent of the 1970s and 1980s. Most Serbian
intellectuals supported the 1989 amendments to the Serbian
constitution, but at the same time many backed Cosic's demands
for democratization of the Serbian system once the two provinces
were "reunited" with Serbia. In 1989 the Serbian Writers'
Association issued a public appeal that included the following
points: abolition of the single-party system and of the LCY's
power monopoly; full respect for human rights; equal rights for
all citizens before the law; equal rights to vote and be elected
to office, irrespective of political affiliation; an independent
judiciary; and freedom of the press. In the same year, the
Serbian group began criticizing the nationalist position of
Slobodan Milosevic, and some factions discussed transforming the
association into a political party.
Data as of December 1990
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