SERBIA: BELGRADE: THOUSANDS ATTEND PREDRAG STARCEVIC'S FUNERAL

Описание: (28 Dec 1996) English/Nat

Thousands of people in Belgrade attended the funeral Saturday of Predrag Starcevic who died earlier in the week after a severe beating by supporters of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic

Starcevic was the first to be killed after more than a month of peaceful protests against the annulment of the November 17 local elections that the opposition had won.

Opposition supporters called off their daily protest in the capital Saturday to mourn his death.

Serbia's opposition leaders summoned their legions of supporters Saturday to the funeral of the first demonstrator to die in nearly six weeks of anti-government unrest in Belgrade.

About ten thousand supporters converged on Novo Groblje, the new Belgrade city cemetery, to pay their last respects to Predrag Starcevic.

The 39 year old was swept up in clashes on Tuesday between opposition protesters and supporters of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

He died after a severe beating by Milosevic's supporters.

Opposition leaders said the huge gathering at the funeral showed people were not prepared to put up such tactics from the government.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We want to show that we are not going to tolerate violence which is prepared by regime, so all of us came here with a lot of pain in our hearts because of that."
SUPERCAPTION: Vena Pesic, Opposition leader

The three opposition leaders - Vuk Draskovic, Zoran Djindjic, and Vena Pesic - walked slowly behind the black hearse, along with Starcevic's widow, 10 Orthodox priests bearing lighted candles and about 50 mourners carrying wreaths.

At the top of the procession was a wooden cross and the victim's portrait.

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