Committee to Protect Journalists - Serbia

Attacks on the Press 2010: Europe and Central Asia Analysis

2011-02-15T05:52:00Z

On the Runet, Old-School Repression Meets New

By Nina Ognianova and Danny O'Brien

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has often talked about the importance of a free press and free Internet, telling reporters before his election that the Web "guarantees the independence of mass media." He explicitly tied the two together in his first State of the Union address in November 2008, declaring that "freedom of speech should be backed up by technological innovation" and that no government official "can obstruct discussion on the Internet."

Attacks on the Press 2010: Serbia

2011-02-15T05:17:00Z

Top Developments
• Authorities win convictions in anti-press attacks, improve access to information.
• Constitutional Court strikes down restrictive media ownership regulations.

Key Statistic
3: Suspects convicted and sentenced to prison for threats against B92 journalist.

Serbian authorities stepped up law enforcement efforts in attacks against journalists, winning convictions in high-profile cases, even as they pursued some restrictive media policies. These sometimes contradictory media practices reflected the broader political goals of President Boris Tadic, who pursued liberal policies such as seeking European Union membership and reconciling with neighboring Balkan states, while appealing to conservatives by refusing to recognize Kosovo's independence and failing to arrest indicted war criminal Ratko Mladic.

Reporter brutally assaulted in Belgrade

2010-07-26T18:49:55Z

New York, July 26, 2010—Serbian authorities must thoroughly investigate the brutal attack on Teofil Pancic, a reporter for the independent weekly Vreme, and consider journalism as a potential motive, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Eight charged in Croatia murders

2009-10-27T17:19:40Z

We issued the following statement after Croatian and Serbian prosecutors announced that they have charged eight men in an October 2008 car bombing that killed Ivo Pukanic, owner and editorial director of the Zagreb-based political weekly Nacional, and Niko Franjic, the paper’s marketing director...

Serbian police arrest suspects in deadly Croatian bombing

2009-06-03T19:43:20Z

New York, June 3, 2009--The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the arrests of three additional suspects in the October 2008 murders of Ivo Pukanic, owner and editorial director of the Zagreb-based political weekly Nacional, and Niko Franjic, the publication's marketing director. Three other suspects had been arrested in November 2008.

Attacks on the Press in 2008: Serbia

2009-02-10T05:14:00Z

Nationalists suffered a series of political defeats in 2008 and responded by lashing out against independent journalists and liberal reformers with threats and physical attacks. A reformist-nationalist coalition government led by the conservative Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica during the first half of the year and by liberal President Boris Tadic during the second half failed to adequately protect journalists from these abuses. The nationalists targeted independent journalists, rights activists, and reformist politicians for "betraying" Serbia, while police and prosecutors regularly turned a blind eye.

CPJ urges Serbian president to protect broadcaster B92

2008-03-04T17:00:00Z

March 4, 2008

His Excellency Boris Tadic
President of the Republic of Serbia
Masarikova 5/VI
Belgrade 11000
Serbia

Via facsimile: +381 (11) 303 0868, + 381 (11) 362 0676

Dear Mr. President,

The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the recent attacks on the Belgrade-based independent broadcaster B92 and its founder, Veran Matic. The attacks started in the wake of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence on February 17--culminating in the siege of the station by angry protesters on February 21--and have continued since.

Independent broadcaster B92 threatened, besieged

2008-02-22T17:00:00Z

SERBIA:

New York, February 22, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces yesterday’s siege in Belgrade of the independent radio and television station B92. Threats have been waged against the broadcaster since violence flared as a result of Kosovo’s declaration of independence on Saturday. Also, CPJ is appalled by a graphic video that appeared on YouTube on Saturday showing B92’s anchors being targeted by a sniper and killed. As of Friday, the video remained up.

Attacks on the Press 2007: Europe and Central Asia Snapshots

2008-02-05T16:24:50Z

Attacks and developments throughout the region

VOA reporter beaten, threatened in Kosovo

2007-10-18T16:00:00Z

New York, October 18, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces the attack on Vesna Bojicis, Kosovo correspondent for the Serbian-language service of Voice of America (VOA) radio. An unidentified assailant stormed into Bojicis’ home Tuesday night, beat her, and threatened to kill her because of her reporting, according to local press reports.

The attacker knocked on Bojicis’ apartment door in the village of Caglavica, near the provincial capital, Pristina, on Tuesday night, reports said. When she answered the door, a masked assailant forced his way into the apartment, hit Bojicis repeatedly on the head, condemned her work for VOA, and cited her purported “bias in favor of Albanians,” the Belgrade-based Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) reported. The attacker told Bojicis that this was her “final warning” and that he would kill her and abduct her child if she did not stop her reporting, ANEM said.

Broadcast editor receives death threats

2007-08-09T16:00:00Z

August 9, 2007
POSTED September 12, 2007

Stefan Cvetkovic, TNT, Bela Crkva
THREATENED

On August 9, Cvetkovic, editor in chief of the independent radiotelevision station TNT in the city of Bela Crkva, about 100 km (62 miles) east of the capital, Belgrade, received two anonymous phone calls from an unidentified number. A male voice threatened to kill him and uttered profanities at him, the independent Belgrade-based broadcaster B92 reported. Cvetkovic believes the threats are in response to his station’s critical coverage of local authorities.

In Serbia, hand grenade explodes outside reporter’s home

2007-04-17T16:00:00Z

New York, April 17, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by an attack against Dejan Anastasijevic, an investigative reporter and editor for the Belgrade weekly magazine Vreme. One of two hand grenades planted on a window sill outside the journalist’s bedroom exploded at 2:50 a.m. Friday, Anastasijevic told CPJ.

“We commend the authorities’ efforts to protect our colleague, Dejan Anastasijevic, and his family,” CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. “But we reiterate our alarm at this heinous attack on a prominent, independent journalist and his family, and we call on authorities to bring those responsible to justice as soon as possible.”

Neo-Nazis threaten to kill independent journalist

2007-04-03T16:00:00Z

New York, April 3, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by death threats made against Dinko Gruhonjic, head of the Vojvodina branch of the independent news agency BETA and chairman of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina, by a local neo-Nazi group.

The threats, which were posted on a neo-Nazi Web site this week, stem from Gruhonjic’s coverage of National Formation, a neo-Nazi group based in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad, the journalist told CPJ. Gruhonjic’s reports publicized the group’s activities, including a 2005 organized attack where neo-Nazis armed with crowbars, attacked participants marking the anniversary of Kristallnacht—a pogrom against Jews throughout Germany and parts of Austria in 1938—according to local and international press reports.

Attacks on the Press 2006: Europe Snapshots

2007-02-05T16:33:58Z

Attacks & Developments Throughout the Region

Attacks on the Press 2006: Europe and Central Asia Snapshots

2007-02-05T15:08:00Z