Country Demography:

• Population:  10.8 million                                      
• Religions:   Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%, Other 11%;  Serbia only (not including Kosovo):  Serbian Orthodox 80%, Roman Catholic 18%, Muslim & Others 2%
• Income Per Capita: $1,400 year/ $3.89 day
• Government Type:  Republic
  Chief of State:  President Svetozar MAROVIC (since March 2003)
  Note: The president is both the chief of state and head of government

Legal Profession:

• Estimated number of lawyers in Serbia is 24,000, of whom 5,000 are barristers.
• Estimated number of believers involved in the legal profession is 20,000, with 4,200 barristers.
• There is currently no local Christian group in Serbia.

Major Activities of Christian Lawyers:

• Christian lawyers in Serbia recently had the opportunity to attend the Balkan regional conference, which occurred in Nis in May 2004.  Topics covered included human rights, the implementation and protection of human rights, and freedom of religion before the court in Strasbourg.

Convocation Goals:

• The delegate from Serbia considers the Global Convocation to be a place where he can finally meet people who can provide each other with much needed encouragement in the on-going struggle for a better society.

Prayer Items:

• That Christian lawyers in Serbia would seek each other out and develop a small forum for providing support.

Contact Information:

• Dusan Kostic dusan.k@eunet.yu

ªSerbia In Actionª

In the past year, Advocates Europe’s President, Latcho Popov, has established contacts with several leading Christian lawyers in this nation that faced much turmoil under President Milosovic.  Working together with Bulgarian lawyers, Serbia now has the opportunity to engage in ways that were impossible until recently.  The Third Conference of Advocates Europe for lawyers from the Balkans was held in Nis, Serbia and Montenegro in May 2004 and was attended by 25 lawyers and law-students from Serbia and Montenegro, among whom was the Dean of the Law Faculty and two law professors from of the University in Nis, a member of the Commission of HR in Montenegro, two law professors from Pristine, Kosovo – one Serb and one Albanian, the Deputy Chairman of the District Court in Nis, who is a member of the Supreme Juridical Council of Nis. As a result of this gathering Serbian lawyers decided to register a Human Rights Center in Nis, which should be related to AE and the Balkan Network.