The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) are surprised that the police in Becej, in cooperation with the competent prosecutor's office, characterized the physical attack on a journalist working for "Kepes Ifjusag", Caba Segi, as nothing more than a misdemeanor.
(NUNS, NDNV, 11/05/2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) strongly protest against the physical and verbal attack by an official of the Serbian Progressive Party, Zoran Savanov, and a group of perpetrators on the director and editor-in-chief of RTV Kovacica, Gojko Vukadin, and a cameraman, Danijel Hajk, in Kovacica.
(Danas, 20/05/2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) strongly condemns the physical assault on the journalistic team of the Kurir daily newspaper and demands that the police and judicial authorities punish the attacker in accordance with the Criminal Code. NUNS is seriously concerned because of increasingly frequent attacks on journalists and believes that the attacks are being directly invited by incredibly lenient sentences against the perpetrators.
(NUNS, 12/05/2011; Politika, Pravda, 13/05/2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) has called on the police and the judiciary to perform a quick and efficient investigation and punishing of attackers on Nedzat Beljulji, the owner of the TV Spektri from Bujanovac, who was assaulted because of aired comments that were critical of the head of the local self-government, Farus Isljami, and the president of the Municipality of Bujanovac, Saip Kamberi.
(NUNS, Fonet, Blic, 15/05/2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), with support from IREX, organizes a seminar on media law on May 23, 2011 at 12.00 in the hall no. 8 of the Nis University. The seminar will cover the following subjects:

• Registration and licensing of public media outlets, especially on the internet
• Interception and its forms; how and when the state and its bodies can intercept information and disregard the privacy of communication
• Privacy, the right to privacy and situations when it can be limited; reporting on public personalities

(NUNS, 19/05/2011)

The same seminar on the media law will be held on May 27, 2011 at 13.00 in the conference hall of the Faculty of Law in Belgrade.
(NUNS, 23/05/2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) condemns the attack on journalists of Kurir. We expect that the state finally sentence at least the attacker on the pregnant journalist of the Kurir daily to the maximum prison sentence of eight years. If Serbian judges are not aware of the relevant articles of the Criminal Code, the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) will gladly inform them, says the announcement issued by the Association.
(UNS, Kurir, 12/05/2011; Pravda, 13/05/2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) condemned yesterday the assault on the owner of the TV Spektri from Bujanovac, Nedzat Beljulji, and called on the authorities to prosecute the attacker in accordance with the amended provisions of the Criminal Code.
(UNS, Danas, Dnevnik, Kurir, 16/05/2011)

The Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL)

In accordance with relevant laws, the director of the Agency has made a decision setting the amount of the monthly fee for lease of the cable distribution routes to be paid by operators that own the cable routes.
(RATEL 18/05/2011)

A Protocol on Cooperation between the Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) and the Committee for Protection of Competition has been signed.
(RATEL, 17/05/2011)

The Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) has published tables with an overview of roaming prices of all three domestic mobile operators with the aim to help citizens of Serbia lower the cost of the usage of mobile phones abroad. This overview includes 50 countries and detailed information is available at the web site www.ratel.rs.
(RATEL, 24/05/2011)

SEEMO

SEEMO is disappointed with a Serbian court's decision to sentence to only ten months house arrest a person who beat up B92 TV cameraman Bosko Brankovic, breaking his leg, injuring his shoulder and destroying his camera. The light sentence has fuelled a widespread sense among journalists' and other media associations that the law does not protect journalists. A court in Belgrade took three years to prosecute the perpetrators.
(SEEMO/IPI, 12/05/2011)

The South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO) is disappointed with a Serbian court's decision to sentence to only ten months of house arrest Milan Savatovic, who beat up B92 TV cameraman Bosko Brankovic, breaking his leg, injuring his shoulder and destroying his camera. A court in Belgrade took three years to pass the verdict.
(Fonet, NUNS, 13/05/2011)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA)

As a result of the complaint filed by the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), the Radio-Television of Serbia was fined yesterday in the amount of two million, while the TV Pink is obliged to pay a fine totaling a million and a half euros. The fines were imposed due to overstepping of the allowed time for broadcasting of commercials.
(Kurir, 20/05/2011)

The Court of Misdemeanors in Belgrade, acting on complaints filed by the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), could pass a verdict obliging the Serbian public service broadcaster to pay a fine in the amount of up to two million euros because of overstepping of the allowed time for airing of advertisements. For the same reason, the TV Pink should pay up to 1.5 million euros. Because of the programme saturated with advertising blocks, the RRA has filed no less than 2,457 complaints against the RTS, 1,248 against TV Pink, 1,865 against B92 and 1,379 against TV Prva.
(Kurir, 21/05/2011)

The Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) is not authorized to prohibit the so-called reality shows. In accordance with the Law on Public Information, such a decision can be made only by the competent Court at the proposal of the public prosecutor, says the reply to a question of a member of the National Parliament of Serbia. Although this issue is not within its authority, the Agency has prepared a proposal of the Broadcasting Law, while the authorized proposer of such a law is the Ministry of Culture, Informing and Information Society.
(Dnevnik, 23/05/2011)

Porfirije Peric, the president of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) and a vicar bishop, is at the same time the abbot of the Kovilj Monastery and the head of a community for treatment of drug addicts "The Land of the Living" ("Zemlja Zivih"). His work in the RRA violates three church canons, especially the sixth apostolic canon which says that a bishop is now allowed to perform secular jobs.
(Alo! 21/05/2011)

Media trade unions

31 employees in "Politika Newspapers and Magazines" will be dismissed from work. The management claims that the decision is the only way to solve the financial difficulties, says the president of the Trade Union of Serbian Journalists, Dragana Cabarkapa.
(Danas, 20/05/2011)

Representative trade unions of "Politika Newspapers and Magazines" organized yesterday in front of the Politika buildings a protest against new dismissals of employees in the company. The trade unions demand that the management revoke its decision on dismissal of 31 employees.
(Danas, 25/05/2011)

The president of the Trade Union of Serbian Journalists, which has given its support to the protest of the trade union of Politika, Dragana Cabarkapa, said that journalists working in the media in a majority ownership of the state should unite and preserve the jobs and reputation of their media.
(Tanjug, Politika 25/05/2011)

Employees in Radio Smederevo have ended their three-week strike after signing an agreement with the majority owner, who has accepted an obligation to pay salaries for the first quarter to employees before the end of May, while the allowance for meals and transport costs for the last year should be paid by the end of June.
(Tanjug, Blic, Pravda, Beta, Boom 93, 17/05/2011, Vecernje Novosti, 18/05/2011)

The trade union "Nezavisnost" ("Independence") of the public company Radio-Television Kragujevac announced an one-hour warning strike to be held on May 26 due to low salaries, debt towards the employees, violation of the Collective Contract and abuse of members of the trade union. The employer and a founder of RTV Kragujevac is the city of Kragujevac.
(Blic, 25/05/2011)

Issue No. 4
May 12 – May 24, 2011

Abbreviations