Communist Yugoslavia's only official human rights monitoring body has appealed for all prisoners convicted of "verbal offenses" to be set free, official Belgrade newspapers said on Wednesday.

View Comments

More than 500 Yugoslavs are jailed for political crimes every year, according to official figures. But the total number of political prisoners in Yugoslavia is not available.The majority are jailed under article 133 of the Penal Code, known as the "verbal delict" law, a catch-all curb on freedoms to criticize the state or politicians or to voice unorthodox political views either orally or in writing.

Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.