21. 11. 2008

ANEM STRONGLY CONDEMNS PRESSURE ON EMPLOYEES OF RTV KURSUMLIJA

Belgrade, Serbia, November 21st, 2008. - Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly protests against serious threats to the editor and director of RTV Kursumlija from Kursumlija, an ANEM member, Slavko and Cedomir Savic, which constitute illegitimate and unacceptable pressure on the editorial policy of this media outlet.

RTV Kursumlija announced that on Thursday, November 20, after 9.00 pm, the vice president of the Municipality of Kursumlija, Dejan Milosevic, and the vice president of the local Assembly, Branislav Jovanovic, together with five army reservists, entered the premises of the TV station, dissatisfied with RTV Kursumlija's reporting about the protest of army reservists. As RTV Kursumlija announced, Milosevic and Jovanovic were specifically discontented with the statement of Halid Gasic, a volunteer who supported the army reservists' protest, regarding the money collected by the army reservists as a voluntary contribution.

RTV Kursumlija's announcement further states that Milosevic and Jovanovic were yelling and, after throwing a telephone to a sound mixer, threatened the editor Slavko Savic and members of his family with murder if their names are ever mentioned again in the TV station's reporting. After twenty minutes, Milosevic and Jovanovic left the premises of the RTV Kursumlija and the police were called to investigate. The public prosecutor's office in Kursumlija was also informed about the incident.

ANEM points out that the Law on Public Information stipulates that no one is allowed to perform any physical or any other form of pressure on public media outlets and their employees, nor any other kind of influence with the aim to obstruct their activities. ANEM also points out that public media outlets freely publish ideas, information and opinions about phenomenon, events and persons in which there exists a justifiable interest of the public. Information about the army reservists' protest caused by unpaid wages, especially in Kursumlija, which was one of the centers of the protest, is without a doubt a kind of information that is of justifiable interest to the public.

The threat made by the local officials and their prohibition on mentioning their names in RTV Kursumlija's reporting prevents the citizens of this municipality from being informed about the work of their local self-government. This threat also constitutes a violation of the obligation of local self-government institutions and local officials to make information on their work available to the public under equal conditions for all journalists and all public media outlets.

ANEM expresses its full solidarity with colleagues from TV Kursumlija, and demands of the authorities to investigate the threats as well as to take appropriate protective measures to ensure that journalists and employees of TV Kursumlija are free to inform the public about the issues of public interest without fear for their safety and safety of their families.

ANEM Chairman, Saša Mirković