INURA

INURA_LetterOfSupport_Matkovic

Zurich, September 4, 2024

Open Letter of Support for Aleksandar Matković and those who raise their voices against Rio Tinto and lithium mining

From the International Network for Urban Research and Action (INURA)

INURA is a group of international scholars and experts on social, environ-mental and economic development. Our members come from more than 150 cities and five continents. We wish to express our deep concern regar-ding the situation of Aleksandar Matković, a research associate at the Institute of Economic Sciences in Belgrade, and the other researchers, journalists, and activists who are raising their voices against the contro-versial mining project led by the British-Australian company Rio Tinto.

Matkovic’s critical analysis of plans to mine one of Europe’s largest lithium deposits in Serbia, published in Danas newspaper, has resulted in him being subjected to online surveillance, intimidation, and death threats.

Rio Tinto’s project has sparked widespread public outcry and protests throughout Serbia. Concerns centre on potential ecological devastation in a densely populated agricultural region situated above a significant under-ground water reservoir. According to a scientific study published in a prominent scientific journal, research drilling by the mining company has already caused significant environmental damage, including water conta-mination and elevated levels of toxic substances in rivers and soil, posing serious threats to local communities, their livelihoods, and the surrounding ecosystem. [See: Đorđević, D., Tadić, J.M., Grgur, B., Ristić, R., Sakan, S., Brezjanović, J., Stevanović, V. and Šolaja, B., 2024. The influence of exploration activities of a potential lithium mine to the environment in Western Serbia. Scientific Reports, 14(1), p.17090].

Matković has received increasingly serious death threats via his Telegram profile, including threats referencing personal information not publicly available and made near his actual location, suggesting that he has been followed. Additional threats were directed at him online, indicating pos-sible monitoring of his internet activities.

Despite reporting these threats to the police, no action has been taken. Authorities initially denied awareness of his complaint, but under media scrutiny later admitted that they had received Matković’s complaint and said they would investigate the perpetrators. However, repression has now extended beyond Aleksandar Matković. A foreign journalist intending to cover his case was dissuaded, and alarming raids were made by police and the Security Intelligence Agency on the homes of Matković’s friends and supporters.

Matković’s situation is not an isolated case. Journalists working for media agencies N1, Danas, and NovaS have also raised their voices against Rio Tinto and corrupt activities around the project Jadar and are receiving threats. Moreover, ecological activists (Ne damo Jadar! and other civil associations) have received constant threats and being arrested by the police during the mass protests.

INURA is deeply troubled by the threats facing Aleksandar Matković, his family, friends, and the journalists involved. These incidents represent direct assaults on the fundamental rights of freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. We stand in solidarity with all individuals, media agencies, and civil associations courageously raising valid concerns about the societal impacts and environmental risks associated with Rio Tinto’s massive lithium mining project in Serbia.

Yours sincerely,

INURA

International Network for Urban Research and Action

http://www.inura.org

INURA supports the three year struggle of the Unitary trade union representation, the Factory Collective ex GKN and the female and male workers ex GKN in Campi Bisenzio, Tuscany, Italy

in English as pdf INURA_exGKN(1) or Text below and Film

in Italian in an article by Marvi Maggio, trade union representative, in the magazine PER UN’ALTRA CITTÀ

_________________________________________

Malaga, June 9, 2024

To whom it may concern

The International Network for Urban Research and Action is a

Network of people involved in Action and Research in localities

and cities started in 1991 and formed by researchers and

activists from many different countries, between which many

European ones, Cuba, Australia, Canada, USA, Mexico, Chile,

Hong Kong, China, Japan.

During the INURA Conference in Malaga held on the 3rd – 9

June 2024 the impressive 3 year struggle of the Unitary trade

union representation, the Factory Collective ex GKN and the

female and male workers ex GKN, was presented to us by

Marvi Maggio, a trade union representative. We fully support

the requests and claims of the Collective to the Italian state

and the regional government to make a public intervention for

a reconversion of the factory towards a renewable energy and

light mobility hub in Campi Bisenzio, Tuscany, under the control of the

workers. In this way, the place of work would be preserved

through reconversion.

We admire the practice of the collective that illuminates the

present: solidarity, interconnected struggles, convergence

practice, and the urgent transformation of production from

polluting ones towards ecologic production.

On the basis of our knowledge we support the collective and

encourage all the involved institutions, political and technical to

realize their claims for public intervention for the reconversion

of the factory.

INURA

Open Letter to the Federal Council of Switzerland concerning Credit Suisse bank’s huge real estate stock being taken over by the largest Swiss bank UBS. The letter was written as a collective effort at 31st INURA Conference Retreat, June 1-4, in Salecina, Canton of Grisons, Switzerland. Read the Open Letter

Reflections from the 30th Anniversary Conference of the International Network for Urban Research and Action, INURA, in Luxembourg

INURA Luxembourg continued an old tradition: INURA bulletin Nr. 33 out now !

Reflecting on research and activism in times of uncertainty and crisis: The 30th Anniversary conference of INURA in Luxembourg | Brennpunkt Drëtt Weltcon

From June 25 to 28 the 30th INURA Conference was held in Luxembourg. More than 60 participants gathered to learn about Luxembourg and to celebrate 30 years and the 30th conference. Read this report Reflecting on research and activism in times of uncertainty and crisis: The 30th Anniversary conference of INURA in Luxembourg | Brennpunkt Drëtt Weltcon: Download 30th_INURA_conference_Luxembourg

INURA Annual Report 2021 _ 30 years of International Research and Action

June 25 – 27, followed by the retreat June 28 – 29 , register here. Early bird registration until April 20.

Our colleague and comrade Tomislav Tomašević, activist, scholar, inura member and organiser of the 2019 INURA conference in Zagreb, politician since 2017, was elected on May 30, 2021 new Mayor of the Croatian capital city of Zagreb (805’000 inhabitants) with an excellent result of more than 65%. Congratulations and good luck!

Jan 16, 2021, Eugene Kalinouski, 22y urban geographer, was sentenced FOUR (4!) years of prison because of beat (by) OMOH Belarus police officers. This video explains what has happened.

Eugene (also transcribed as Yauhen) joined the INURA conference in Warsaw 2018. Eugene now declared political prisoner by VIASNA

THIS IS HOW YOU CAN HELP
Hello everyone!
Firstly, I (Marta) want to say a huge THANK YOU for all your love and support!
Secondly, this is how you can help us from abroad:
1. Financial help
We need money on short-term and long-term needs:
Short-term needs:
-advocate services
-сompensation for so-called “victims”
-food, clothes, books for Eugene in prison
Long-term needs:
When Eugene will be released, sooner or later, he will need some money for a start. I’m not sure that he will continue to work for the start-up he used to work for – it’s the matter of how much time he will spend in prison. So some kind of a personal fond for him is a necessity, e.g he will definitely need such things as:
– psychological help and medical check-up
– new laptop and smartphone [his belongings were confiscated]
and etc
I sorted out two ways of payments from abroad:
1. PAYPAL
As I understand, all you need for payment through PAYPAL is my email. Here it is: martashpinder13@gmail.com
2. Card
Bank account in euros:
PL30 1020 1811 0000 0302 0374 4570
Bank account in dollars:
PL25 1020 1811 0000 0502 0374 4562
Name: Marta Shpindzer

(If you need Marta’s address contact us: contact@inura.org. Marta is Eugene’s partner. We are in contact with her. You can also contribute / donate through INURA)

If there are questions or recommendations, let us know!
2. International organisations
Currently I’m writing the detailed document in English about the trial process (almost done🙂) and I want to send it to the organisations like Amnesty International and etc. If you have any contacts with the organisations like that, please let me know!
3. Contacts
I hope that Eugene will be released sooner than 4 years and we really want to have some options for him when he will be free. Eugene is a great specialist in GIS, urban planning, space syntax (I have his CV, if you are interested)
If you think that you will be able to help us to find the job or the university program for him in the future, please leave me your contact!
That’s it for now. I’ll be grateful for any recommendations!

Marta