The state and the media

The regular report on human rights issued each year by the State Department (the report on Serbia is available at www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/eur/154449.htm, in the chapter on Serbia dedicated to media situation, says that most of the media outlets are independent and privately-owned, although the state has retained significant media resources and the privatization of local media outlets has not been completed. The report also says that the public service broadcaster, RTS, usually reports on events impartially, „although the Government has a significant influence on it".
Source: Vecernje Novosti, 09/04/2011

Commenting on the report issued by the State Department, a professor at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Belgrade, Snjezana Milivojevic, estimates that the local media scene has witnessed some improvements, but that Serbia still has a long way to go before joining the ranks of developed countries in this regard. This is supported by the report, "which mentions large state ownership in the media, direct influence on the media, ties between the Parliament and the Republic Broadcasting Agency, the position of Tanjug, and pressures on local media outlets; therefore the report under no circumstances can be accepted as positive".
Source: B92, 07/04/2011

Jovanka Matic, expert associate of the Institute of Social Sciences, claims that the results of the decade-long rule of the members of the former pro-democratic DOS movement in the media sector have been disastrous. A research conducted by the Institute of Social Sciences on media freedom in 2009 shows that only one out of 210 interviewed top-level managers in news media outlets was satisfied with freedom of the media in practice. Two thirds of interviewed editors said that freedom of their media outlets was violated in some form, most often by state authorities (40 percent of all stated sources of violation of this freedom), political parties and organizations (21 percent), and powerful business figures – advertisers (21 percent).
Source: Danas, 11/04/2011

Four letters to president Tadic

In their open letter to president of Serbia, Boris Tadic, journalistic associations call attention to the necessity of adoption of a media strategy that is needed to regulate the media scene. The letter, written by the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV), Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), and Local Press, says that local press is at the edge of extinction, while the financial position of journalists is disastrous. Safety of journalists is under threat, shows are being taken off-air in response to politicians' demands, and murderers of journalists have not been identified, the letter points out. The letter will also be sent to representatives of the European Commission, European Union and OSCE, as well as to the International Federation of Journalists. The full text of the letter
Source: Tanjug, B92, Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia – NUNS, Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina – NDNV, Journalists' Association of Serbia – UNS, Association of Independent Electronic Media – ANEM, Local Press, 06/04/2011; Danas, Politika, Dnevnik, Alo, Pravda, Press, Blic, 07/04/2011

Listeners from abroad of Radio Belgrade voiced their protest after a "very popular and high-quality show, 'Atlantis', was taken off-air from the Channel 2 of Radio Belgrade. They are of the opinion that the show – which has interviewed Diana Johnstone, author and political analyst, professor Edward Herman, professor Noam Chomsky, professor Michel Chossudovsky, John Pilger, author and journalist, Dr Judit Reisman, Tariq Ali, writer and historian, Vijay Prashad, author, Michael Parenti, author, David Gibbs, historian, and other internationally renowned intellectuals – should be back on-air on the Channel 2 of Radio Belgrade.
Source: Novi Standard Online, UNS, 07/04/2011

In its letter to Serbian President, Boris Tadic, and Prime Minister, Mirko Cvetkovic, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has expressed its "highest concern caused by recent serious threats to authors and journalists of the TV show 'Insider' and to RTV B92 that came as a response to their programmes exposing major financial abuses in "Kolubara"
Source: NUNS Newsletter, 01/04/2011

The European Federation of Journalist (EFJ) has called on the President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, to initiate a dialog with "media professionals" with the aim to implement necessary reforms and allow Serbian journalist to "live a life free from poverty, corruption and fear". The letter, sent to President Tadic by the President of the European Federation of Journalists, Arne König, states that the freedom of the media in Serbia "is still seriously threatened", and that "financial position of journalists is disastrous". The letter points out that in accordance with the Copenhagen criteria, the freedom of the press and freedom of expression must be full respected. The full text of the letter is available here: www.uns.org.rs
Source: Beta, UNS, B92, 12/04/2011, Danas, Blic, Pravda, Politika, Vecernje Novosti, Press, Alo!, 13/04/2011

Threats and proceedings against journalists and the media

Journalists of Kurir were on the receiving end of death threats and insults of people who identified themselves as distributors of "Herbalife" in Serbia. The reason for this was Kurir's publication of certain experts' opinion that "Herbalife" products might be harmful to health, despite distributors' claims to the contrary.
Source: Kurir, 01/04/2011

"We will investigate who is behind threats to your journalists who have reported on 'Herbalife'", said Milorad Veljovic, head of the police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Source: Kurir, NUNS, 04/04/2011

Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) has condemned threats to journalists of Beta and Vecernje Novosti made by the director of the Public Enterprise Roads of Serbia and the head of the Municipal Section of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) from Gornji Milanovac, Jovan Carevic. Journalists had tried to ask Carevic questions about the lawsuit initiated by his son, Marko, against the company that Carevic heads because of a car crash that occurred in Donja Vrbava on January 4, 2011. Due to Jovica Carevic's threats against journalists of Beta and Vecernje Novosti, as well as his previous actions, the ruling parties have decided to demand his dismissal.
Source: UNS, 06/04/2011, Vecernje novosti, NUNS 08/04/2011

The President of the Municipality of Gornji Milanovac, Milisav Mirkovic, has apologized at the session of the Municipal Assembly to journalists of Vecernje Novosti and Beta news agency for threats that they had received from the director of the Public Enterprise Roads of Serbia, Jovica Carevic. Carevic, who is also the President of the Municipal Section of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), appeared at the session and told his version of the events. He said that he had only asked journalists to leave his family alone and that they "had probably misunderstood him".
Source: Beta, 08/04/2011, Danas, Blic, Vecernje Novosti, Press, 09/04/2011

According to the executive decision of the Court of Appeals in Belgrade, daily newspaper 'Danas' is obliged to pay total damages in the amount of 942,000 dinars to three police officers from Pozarevac because of the damage to their reputation caused by articles published by newspapers Kurir and Glas Javnosti, as well as by the special section of the Danas newspaper (Danas – Branicevo). The author of the articles, journalist Dusanka Novkovic from Pozarevac, was also a defendant in this case.
Source: Danas, 02/04/2011

The public has strongly condemned the executive decision of the Court of Appeals which obliges the newspaper Danas to pay a fine for articles published in its special section on Branicevo, as well as in Kurir and Glas Javnosti. The decision was protested by the presidents of UNS and NUNS, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, representatives of political parties in Serbia, the professor of civil proceedings law, Vesna Rakic Vodinelic, other experts in media laws, the South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), Journalists' Union of Serbia, media representatives, the Head of OSCE Mission in Serbia, Dimitrios Kypreos, and others.
Source: Blic, 03/04/2011; E-novine, Danas, NUNS, UNS, 04/04/2011 Danas, B92, NUNS, Politika, 05/04/2011, ABC Srbija Newsletter, Danas, Politika, NUNS, UNS, 06/04/2011, Danas, 07/04/2011, Danas, 09/04/2011, Danas, 12/04/2011

The Republic Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, Rodoljub Sabic, has sent the Municipality of Kula a request to make available to journalists of "Blic" and "Vecernje Novosti", Ranka Ivanoski and Branka Baletic, a complete video recording of the session of the Municipal Assembly of Kula that was held on February 16, including the part that shows a violent intervention of private security contractors during removal of journalists from the session hall. The local self-government in Kula has delivered the video recording of the session to authorities, but the 4-hour recording does not include the forceful intervention of the employees of the "Star Security" agency against the journalists.
Source: Dnevnik, 11/04/2011

Investigations of murders of journalists

According to the statement made by the police department in Jagodina and published by "Politika", the intensive investigation of the murder of journalist Milan Pantic has achieved first results. Since this is the first time such information has been made public, it is safe to assume that the police is close to the perpetrator of the murder.
Source: Politika, UNS, 02/04/2011

On Thursday, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) has for the 17^th time called on the police, the prosecutor's office and the judiciary of Serbia to solve the murder of journalist Dada Vujasinovic. NUNS reminds that the Republic Prosecutor, Zagorka Dolovac, has recently said that there had been omissions in the previous investigation of this crime similar to those made during later investigations of murders of journalists Slavko Curuvija and Milan Pantic.
Source: Beta, NUNS, 07/04/2011; B92, Politika, UNS, 08/04/2011

At the occasion of 12^th anniversary of the murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, a Member of Parliament, Mirko Cikiriz (Serbian Renewal Movement – SPO), asked the authorities whether the investigation of the case has been completed and why there have been no criminal charges against the perpetrators. As a form of protest against the failure to solve the murders of Slavko Curuvija and Milan Pantic, as well as the mysterious death of Dada Vujasinovic, the UNS has published a list of promises made by Serbian politicians, ministers and prosecutors from all post-October 5 governments, who had all vowed to identify the murderers. More details
Source: Dnevnik, NUNS, 08/04/2011, UNS; 09/04/ 2011, Blic, 10/04/2011

Today is the 12^th anniversary of the murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, whose murderers have not yet been identified. Journalist and owner of "Dnevni Telegraf" and "Evropljanin", Slavko Curuvija, was murdered on Easter, April 11, 1999 in the front the building where he lived located in Svetogorska Street in downtown Belgrade. The murderers fired 17 bullets in his back. First specific steps aimed in investigation of the murder were made by the Special Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime, which by the end of 2006 submitted a court request for investigation. Around 100 witnesses have been examined so far, among them former employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia, citizens and journalists.
Source: Beta, Tanjug, Pregled, Blic, Pravda, Danas, Politika, Vecernje Novosti, Kurir, Dnevnik, 24 sata, 11/04/2011

More than a hundred colleagues, friends and supporters of Slavko Curuvija laid flowers to the memorial plate located in 35 Svetogorska Street, in front of the building where the famous journalist and founder of newspapers "Dnevni Telegraf" and "Evropljanin" lived.
Source: Pravda, Danas, Politika, Vecernje Novosti, Press, Alo!, Dnevnik, Blic, 24 sata, 12/04/2011

The case of B92

The posters show the logo of TV B92 and the picture of Nazi war criminal Joseph Goebbels together with the text that says: "A lie repeated often enough becomes the truth". The organization SNP "Nasi 1389" has issued a statement confirming that its activists in Belgrade, Arandjelovac and Mladenovac put up posters aimed against TV B92. Spokesman for the Republic Prosecutor's Office, Tomo Zorić, said for "Blic" that the authorities would investigate the case.
Source: Blic, UNS, NUNS, 05/04/2011.

The police has confirmed that six persons, still unidentified, had put up obituaries-posters aimed against B92 in Lazarevac after the airing of an investigative series about abuses in the "Kolubara" company. Investigators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs – more precisely, the internal control of the police, as "Politika" has learned from unofficial sources – are investigating the Lazarevac police's documentation related to the case.
Source: Tanjug, B92, 06/04/2011, Politika, 06/04/2011.

The police department in Lazarevac has arrested three suspects who are believed to have put up posters with obituaries to the media company B92 and its employees. One of the arrested is Nenad Pavlovic, who is suspected of organizing the publication of posters-obituaries to B92 in the city. He works as a driver in Kolubara.
Source: Tanjug, B92, 08/04/2011, Dnevnik, Blic, 10/04/2011.

Rights of journalists

Journalist of "Pravda", Slobodan Klisinski, announced that he began a hunger strike as a protest against several months of abuse and mobbing and because he faced "the threat of termination of employment contract on the basis of false accusations and unproved guilt".
Source: Tanjug, RTV Vojvodina, UNS, 04/04/2011.

Journalist Slobodan Klisinski, who began a hunger strike on April 3 in front of the headquarters of the newspaper "Pravda" located at 12 Trg Nikole Pasica, announced on April 5 that he decided to end the hunger strike after reaching an agreement with the management of "Pravda".
Source: UNS, 06/04/2011.

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