The media scene in Serbia

Aleksandar Vucic, the Vice President of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the largest opposition party, says that the situation in the media is worse than twenty years ago.
(B92, 21/04/2011)

Dimitrios Kypreos, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, said to Danas that Serbian media are not the same as in the Milosevic's era, that local journalists are willing to fight for the freedom of the media, that the media in Serbia suffer from same problems as the media anywhere else in the world, and that journalists must resist politicians' pressure.
(Danas, NUNS, UNS, 18/04/2011)

The media strategy

Draft strategy of development of public information system in Serbia should be prepared by June 1, followed by several weeks of public discussion and adoption by the Government. The protocol was signed by the Minister of Culture, Predrag Markovic, and representatives of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Local Press, the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) and the Media Association. In accordance with the document, the work group that has been formed has seven members.
(NUNS, UNS, Pravda, Danas, Vecernje novosti, Politika, Blic, 19/04/2011; ABC Newsletter, ASMEDI Newsletter, 20/04/2011)

Media-related trials

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) protest against the decision by the Court of Appeals in Novi Sad to fine "Karlovacki List" 250,000 dinars. NUNS and NDNV fully support the newspaper's opinion that this is an issue of public interest and that the manner of the newspaper's reporting was in accordance with all relevant laws. "This verdict is a serious attack on the freedom of the media. NUNS and NDNV will inform international organizations about this decision, because we believe that it is contrary to European legal practice".
(NUNS, NDNV, 17/04/2011; Dnevnik, 17/04/2011)

The interned edition of the "Karlovacki List" newspaper was closed down after the decision by the Court of Appeals in Novi Sad to reduce the fine from 400,000 dinars to 250, dinars, but also to officially establish that the event that the newspaper reported on had never happened. "Karlovacki List" has proved, using official documents and photographs, that the assault of Sava Pavlovic, a security worker in the Juznobacki District, on the financial advisor to the head of the Juznobacki District, actually occurred on March 31, 2009.
(Dnevnik, 19/04/2011)

Liquidator of Kurir, Sasa Radulovic, has sued Kurir for published articles that claimed that he owns 14 different companies and two front companies. At the moment, the following proceedings against Kurir are ongoing and include claims for damages: Filip Cepter 100,000,000 dinars, Dejan Dragojlovic 66,950,000 dinars, Dragan Maric 30,000,000 dinars, Sasa Radulovic 7,200,000 dinars, Sandrina Bogunovic 3,000,000 dinars and Ljubisa Buha 3,000,000 dinars.
(Kurir, UNS, 19/04/2011)

The proceeding initiated by the SOS TV channel against the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) and the Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) before the Commercial Court in Belgrade was rescheduled for May 27 because of unavailability of the judge. The SOS channel won a license for three frequencies at the RRA's public contest held in 2006, allowing it to broadcast programme in Belgrade; however, since the most important of these frequencies is unusable, the SOS channel has initiated court proceedings against the RRA and RATEL.
(Danas, NUNS, 20/04/2011)

After several months of attempts to get a license for Ljiljan Radio, the Bosniak Cultural Community (BKZ) has sued the Republic Broadcasting Agency before the European Court of Human Rights and received a note from Strasbourg that proceedings were initiated. At the same time, the BKZ was asked to deliver all documents related to the case in a period of eight weeks. However, "the letter was sent from Strasbourg on March 1 and was delivered to BKZ only on April 11, meaning that it took 41 days to arrive!", while a part of documentation from the letter was missing. BKZ will sue responsible individuals in the Post Office.
(NUNS, Vecernje Novosti, 14/04/2011; Danas, UNS, 15/04/2011)

The process initiated by the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) against the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) aimed at establishing property rights and partitioning of the Journalists' Building in Resavska Street, where both associations are seated, has ended before the First Primary Court in Belgrade.
(Politika, Beta, Danas, NUNS, UNS, 14/04/2011)

A court in Kragujevac has decided to fine the newspaper ALO! 200,000 dinars, to be paid to a former judge of the same court, although the newspaper's lawyers demanded that the trial be relocated to another city to ensure impartiality.
(Alo!, NUNS, 21/04/2011)

The suspect has not committed any criminal offences, nor any other acts that entail mandatory prosecution, it was concluded by the Primary Prosecutor's Office in Sombor, in relation to the forced removal of journalists from the session of the Municipal Assembly of Kula on February 16. Both the Republic and Provincial Ombudsmen have been fully informed about the decision of the Primary Prosecutor's Office in Sombor and they will consider the case. On March 31, the journalists filed a complaint with the Republic Public Prosecutor's Office, which was rejected as groundless on April 1 – the same day when it was received. Although the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance has delivered the Kula Municipality a decision that the complete recording of the session held on February 16 must be delivered to the journalists of Novosti and Blic, the journalists have again received a four-hour recording made by surveillance cameras with only the recording of their forced removal from the session missing from the material.
(Vecernje Novosti, 18/04/2011)

After more than two and a half years, the trial of three attackers on a TV B92 cameraman, Bosko Brankovic, could soon come to a closure. Closing arguments are scheduled for May 9. TV B92's cameraman, Bosko Brankovic, was attacked on 24 July 2008 during a protest by nationalist organizations and the Serbian Radical Party.
(B92, 26/04/2011)

Belgrade section of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) has requested an end to proceedings against a member of the party, Nenad Pavlovic from Lazarevac, who is suspected of putting up posters aimed against B92. "Immense pressure on the police and courts to arrest someone in Lazarevac at all costs, regardless of their guilt, has obviously achieved results although it is completely unclear what Pavlovic is suspected of", says their statement.
(B92, 21/04/2011)

On the occasion of NATO bombing of RTS

Families, friends and colleagues of the employees of the Radio Television Serbia (RTS) who were killed during the bombing in 1999 laid wreaths at the monument "Why?" in Aberdareva Street, reports Tanjug. Two NATO's bombs hit the RTS building during the night of 22 April 1999, killing 16 of RTS' employees.
(Politika, 25/04/2011)

A publicist and a friend of the families of RTS employees killed in the NATO bombing, Miroslav Bojcic, said that the Ministry of Defense had promised to declassify the "file 466", made in 2001, which proves, in Bojcic's words, that the state leadership had been informed about the bombing of RTS in advance. He claims that 17 documents are missing from the file that has been delivered, and that their location is unknown.
(Tanjug, B92, 20/04/2011; NUNS, UNS, Politika, Pravda, 21/04/2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) and the Journalists' Union of Serbia (SNS) will ask for support from their European colleagues to mark 23 April, the day when 16 employees of RTS were killed by NATO's bombs, as a day of remembrance of media workers who were illegally declared a military target and killed.
(Pravda, 23/04/2011)

Families of the employees who lost their lives in the building of the Radio Television Serbia (RTS) during the bombing in 1999, have rejected the Journalists' Association of Serbia's initiative that 23 April, "the day when colleagues RTS lost their lives, be marked as a day of remembrance of media workers who were illegally declared a military target and killed", estimating that such an attempt is a shameless abuse for propaganda purposes. In this case, the Journalists' Association could have selected the date of murder of journalists Dada Vujasinovic, Slavko Curuvija or Milan Pantic. The crime that happened in the building of RTS has two dimensions: it is a war crime committed by NATO, but also a state crime committed by Serbia. "NATO attacked the TV building, but Milosevic was the organizer of the murder."
(E-novine, 25/04/2011; NUNS, 26/04/2011)

Appointment of members of the Managing Board of the Public Broadcaster

The Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) has appointed a new managing board of the Radio Television Serbia (RTS) and Radio Television Vojvodina (RTV). New members of the managing board of RTS are Djordje Vozarevic, Milica Kuburovic, Predrag Markovic, Slobodan Markovic, Milan Nikolic, Zoran Popovic, academician Vojislav Stanovcic, Dusan Stokanovic and Zarko Trebjesanin. New members of the managing board of RTV are philologist Vanja Barisic, journalist Ivan Benasic, lawyer Dimitrije Boarov, economist Dalibor Bubnjevic, teacher Ljiljana Bulatovic and composer Boris Kovac. Mandates of the president of the managing board of RTV, Boris Labudovic, and its members, Tamara Burevic and Ratko Vujicic, are still continuing.
(Danas, NUNS, 17/04/2011, Tanjug, 18/04/2011; NUNS, UNS Pravda, Vecernje novosti, Danas, Dnevnik, 19/04/2011)

A coalition consisting of non-governmental organizations, Civic Vojvodina, has criticized the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) because of the appointment of the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Zrenjanjin, Dalibor Bubnjevic, as a member of the Managing Board of the Radio Television Vojvodina (RTV), because he had for years headed the marketing of the book "The Case of Nacionalni Stroj" by Goran Davidovic, also known as "The Fuhrer", who was sentenced to a year of imprisonment because of inciting national, religious and racial hatred. The coalition reminded that the book contains the program of the neo-Nazi organization Nacionalni Stroj.
(Danas, Pravda, Dnevnik, Politika, Press, NUNS, NDNV, UNS, Blic, 24 sata, 20/04/2011)

Dalibor Bubnjevic, a newly-elected member of the Managing Board of Radio Television Vojvodina, has admitted in the course of court proceedings in the period 2007-2009 that he had been responsible for the marketing of the book "The Case of Nacionalni Stroj" authored by the leader of Nacionalni Stroj, Goran "The Fuhrer" Davidovic, says Vladimir Ilic, the executive director of the Center for Development of Civil Society.
(Blic, 21/04/2011)

I have never worked, full-time or part-time, nor in any other way, for the Art-Projekt, which published the book "The Case of Nacionalni Stroj" written by Goran Davidovic. I will take appropriate legal steps against the persons responsible for these accusations, says Dalibor Bubnjevic, a newly-elected member of the Managing Board of Radio Television Vojvodina.
(Danas, NUNS, 21/04/2011)

The coalition of non-governmental organizations, Civic Vojvodina, has filed a complaint to the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) because of appointment of Dalibor Bubnjevic as a member of the Managing Board of Radio Television Vojvodina.
(Danas, 23/04/2011)

Attacks on the media and journalists

Journalist Caba Segi, a contributor to the youth section Kepes Ifjusag of the newspaper "Madjar So", was beaten in Becej, said the management of the newspaper. The journalist was attacked by three or four attackers who then fled away. Caba Segi later received medical assistance.
(UNS, Pravda, Danas, Dnevnik, Blic, 19/04/2011)

SEEMO condemned the physical attack on Csaba Szögi, a journalist with Képes Ifjúsá, the youth supplement of the Hungarian-language daily Magyar Szó, based in Novi Sad, Serbia.
(SEEMO, 19/04/2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) have strongly condemned today the physical assault on Caba Segi, a contributor to the youth section Kepes ifjusag of the newspaper Madjar So, and called on the authorities to identify and punish the perpetrators as quickly as possible. NUNS and NDNV fear that members of extremist organizations, who are increasingly threatening journalists, are behind the attack on Segi. Segi had already received threats via Facebook.
(RTV, NUNS, NDNV, 19/04/2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) of Serbia, the Police Administration in Novi Pazar and the Prosecutor's Office to identify – after four years – the attackers on Zoran Saponjic, a journalist with Kurir and Glas Javnosti. The UNS believes that this case is being covered up and demands that the officials who have failed for four years to identify the perpetrators – although they are well-known in Novi Pazar – be held accountable.
(UNS, 20/04/2011)

Issue no 2
April 14-27, 2011