*English version below*
Stalna radna grupa za bezbednost novinara (SRG) održala je 25. jula redovan tromesečni sastanak na kome je razmatran izveštaj Vrhovnog javnog tužilaštva o prijavljenim slučajevima pretnji i napada na novinare u prvih šest meseci 2023. godine.
Sednici su prisustvovali predstavnici Vrhovnog javnog tužilaštva, Ministarstva unutrašnjih poslova Republike Srbije, Asocijacije nezavisnih elektronskih medija (ANEM), Asocijacije onlajn medija (AOM), Nezavisnog udruženja novinara Srbije (NUNS), Udruženja novinara Srbije (UNS), Nezavisnog društva novinara Vojvodine (NDNV), kao i predstavnik Misije OEBS-a u Srbiji.
U ovom periodu formirana su 42 predmeta u vezi sa ugrožavanjem bezbednosti novinara i to 4 u januaru, 3 u februaru, 7 u martu, 8 u aprilu, 12 u maju i 8 u junu. Do sada su donete 4 osuđujuće presude, 4 krivične prijave su odbačene jer je utvrđeno da ne postoji krivično delo, u 3 predmeta doneta je službena beleška da nema mesta pokretanju krivičnog postupka, u 6 predmeta u toku je sprovođenje dokaznih radnji, u 24 predmeta podnet je zahtev za prikupljanje potrebnih obaveštenja, a u 1 predmetu učinilac nije identifikovan ni nakon sprovedenog predistražnog.
S obzirom da je u istom periodu 2022. godine zabeležen identičan broj prijavljenih slučajeva (42) može se reći da, statistički gledano, nema većih odstupanja.
Posebno su razmatrani slučajevi uvreda i pretnji Brankici Stanković, urednici Insajder TV-a, od strane navijača a razgovaralo se i o proceni bezbednosti ove novinarke.
Pored toga, razmatrani su i slučajevi praćenja novinara KRIK-a, kao i brojne pretnje Nenadu Kulačinu.
U slučaju pretnji novinarima Blica, i pored postignutog sporazuma o priznanju krivičnog dela, sud je odbio sporazum i nastavljeno je sprovođenje dokaznih radnji. Članovi SRG obavešteni su i o istrazi vezanoj za napad na novinara Danas-a Vojina Radovanovića.
Kada je reč o pretnjama redakciji dnevnog lista Danas i novinaru Dragojlu Blagojeviću, u međunarodnoj pravnoj pomoći nije bilo pomaka tako da još uvek nisu identifikovani počinioci.
SRG je detaljno informisana o okolnostima nestanka predmeta u Višem sudu u Vranju koji se tiče prvostepene presude protiv Dejana Nikolića Kantara zbog ugrožavanja bezbednosti zaposlenih u OK radiju. Članovi Grupe će intenzivno pratiti razvoj i ovog slučaja kao i proces utvrđivanje odgovornosti za nestanak predmeta koji su pokrenuli nadležni organi i institucije.
Na sastanku je posebno razmatrana situacija vezana za pojedine medijske tekstove o konačnoj presudi u slučaju ubistva novinara Slavka Ćuruvije, koji su izazvali zabrinutost domaće i međunarodne medijske javnosti. SRG ističe da će ishod ovog suđenja imati ogroman uticaj na slobodu medija, bezbednost medijskih radnika i sve procese vezane za medijske reforme koji su u toku. S obzirom na to, SRG očekuje verodostojnu presudu zasnovanu na utvrđenim činjenicama koja će predstavljati dodatni zamah unapređenju vladavine prava u Srbiji.
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Permanent working group for the safety of journalists: In the first 6 months of 2023, 42 cases of attacks and threats against journalists, 11 solved
On July 25, Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists (SRG) held a regular quarterly meeting where the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office report on reported cases of threats and attacks against journalists in the first six months of 2023 was discussed.
The session was attended by representatives of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Association of Online Media (AOM), Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS), Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV), as well as the representative of the OSCE Mission in Serbia.
In this period, 42 cases related to endangering the safety of journalists were established, namely 4 in January, 3 in February, 7 in March, 8 in April, 12 in May and 8 in June. So far, 4 guilty verdicts have been handed down, 4 criminal charges have been dismissed because it was determined that there is no criminal offense, in 3 cases an official note has been issued that there is no place to initiate criminal proceedings, in 6 cases the implementation of evidentiary actions is underway, in 24 cases, a request to collect the necessary information has been submitted, and in 1 case the perpetrator was not identified although the preliminary investigation has been conducted.
Given that the same number of reported cases (42) was recorded in the same period in 2022, it can be said that, statistically speaking, there are no major deviations.
Cases of insults and threats addressed at Brankica Stanković, the editor of Insider TV, by football fans, were discussed in particular, and the safety assessment of this journalist was also discussed.
In addition, cases of monitoring of KRIK journalists were discussed, as well as numerous threats to Nenad Kulačin.
In the case of threats to Blic journalists, despite the agreement reached on the recognition of the criminal offense, the court rejected the agreement and it was proceeded with the implementation of evidentiary actions. SRG members were also informed about the investigation related to the attack on Danas journalist Vojin Radovanović.
When it comes to threats to the editorial office of the daily newspaper Danas and journalist Dragojlo Blagojević, there was no progress in international legal assistance, so the perpetrators have not yet been identified.
SRG was informed in detail about the circumstances of the disappearance of the case in the High Court in Vranje, which concerns the first-instance verdict against Dejan Nikolić Kantar for endangering the safety of employees of OK Radio. Members of the Group will intensively monitor the development of this case as well as the process of determining responsibility for the disappearance of cases initiated by competent authorities and institutions.
At the meeting, the situation related to certain media articles on the final verdict in the case of the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija, which caused concern of the domestic and international media public, was discussed in particular. The SRG points out that the outcome of this trial will have a huge impact on the freedom of the media, the safety of media workers and all processes related to media reforms that are underway. Considering this, the SRG expects a credible verdict based on the established facts, which will represent an additional impetus to the improvement of the rule of law in Serbia.