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Washington, D.C., June 19, 2001 – The Voice of America’s (VOA) Serbian correspondent in Belgrade, Misa Brkic, has been awarded the “Otpor Award” for his courageous journalist work during and after the dramatic events in October 2000 that led to the end of Serbian President Milosevic’s government.

During the upheaval, Serbians relied heavily on the VOA for news of the fast-breaking events.  Brkic’s on-the-spot reports pierced the tightly controlled media environment, providing VOA listeners with reliable and accurate coverage.

Belgrade University students against repressive University Law established Otpor in October 1998 during a 3-month protest.  A year later, a group of leading Serbian intellectuals and artists became members of “Otpor” which, by May 2000, was officially renamed “People’s Movement Otpor”.  “Otpor means resistance in Serbian.  The Otpor movement played a crucial role in removing Slobodan Milosevic’s regime from power in Yugoslavia.  It started as a student movement but quickly grew into a massive force to include democratically minded people from all walks of Serbian civic society,” said VOA Serbian Service Chief Maja Drucker. 

The award was presented to Misa Brkic by Srdjan Milivojevic, a leader of “Otpor”.  The commendation reads:  “People’s Movement Otpor expresses its gratitude to an Otpor hero Misa Brkic for his enormous contribution in the struggle for a new liberated Serbia.” 

VOA’s Serbian Service serves a vital role in getting free, accurate, and objective information to its audience in the former Yugoslavia.  VOA broadcasts two hours per day of Serbian radio programs, including a half-hour radio/television simulcast.

The Voice of America is a multimedia broadcasting service funded by the U.S. Government. VOA broadcasts over 900 hours of news, informational, educational, and cultural programming every week to some 91 million worldwide.  Programs are produced and broadcast in English and 52 other languages.

For additional information, please contact the Office of External Affairs at (202) 619-2538 or send email to pubaff@voa.gov.