19. 01. 2013

ANEM CONDEMNS HATE SPEECH PUBLISHED IN THE MAGAZINE PECAT

Belgrade, 19 January 2013 - The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly protests against the ruthless nationalist attack on managers and journalists of the Public Service Broadcaster of Vojvodina (RTV) - Sinisa Isakov, Sanda Savic, Danica Vucenic, Slobodan Arezina, Klara Kranjc and Vanja Kranjac - and the president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV), Dinko Gruhonjic, published in the latest issue of the weekly magazine Pecat.

The editor-in-chief of the magazine is Milorad Vucelic, a former close associate of Slobodan Milosevic and the general director of Radio-Television Serbia during its darkest period, when the citizens of Serbia and the region were subjected to insults, libels and hate speech aired by RTS, for which the current Managing Board of RTS apologized less than two years ago. In a manner that is typical of Vucelic, the magazine accused the managers and journalists of RTV and the president of NDNV of being undoubtedly anti-Serbian and exhibiting hatred towards the nation in whose country they live and work, and of being leaders of anti-Serbian activities and anti-national editorial policy of the Public Service Broadcaster of Vojvodina, whose work is characterized by open support for further ruination of Serbia and the Serbian people.

The published article, authored by Miodrag Zarkovic, and which RTV says is "full of libels and misinformation", centers on the difficult financial situation in RTV, demands that "nationality of its managers be established" and concludes that it is run by a "raging Croatian lobby" which is responsible for the alleged "crime" of "destroying the national idea in Vojvodina".

ANEM fully supports the colleagues from Radio-Television Vojvodina, the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina, and everyone else who has been exposed to pressure because of their professional work, support for democratic values and respect for human rights. ANEM calls on the authorities to respond to this attack and fight against the media and the kind of public speech that can only be characterized as incitement to national hatred between ethnic communities living in Serbia.

ANEM President, Sasa Mirkovic