16. 08. 2005

MINISTERIAL DEATH THREAT TO B92 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ANEM believes that this is not just another of Minister Ilic’s customary inappropriate and tactless statements. In addition to plain public vulgarity, the statements included serious threats. The Association believes the Serbian Government must respond to this and that the prime minister must clearly condemn Ilic’s behaviour and distance himself from such unacceptable behaviour by a Cabinet member. Yesterday’s incident occurred when a B92 journalists asked Ilic for an explanation of his earlier admission that he had influenced a witness to change his statement and thus free Marko Milosevic, son of the former Yugoslav president, from criminal prosecution, a question which is most certainly of interest to the Serbia public. Instead of answering the question, Minister Ilic and his media advisor, Lazovic, reacted with a flood of obscenities, slander and death threats. The journalist herself was subjected to gender-based insults and broader insults were delivered to all B92 journalists and particularly to editor-in-chief Veran Matic. ANEM notes that in this incident Minister Velimir Ilic has once more clearly demonstrated his attitude to the public and the media: he believes that if he is asked a question which does not suit him, not only does he have no obligation to answer, but he also believes that, as a minister and government representative, he has every right to insult and threaten and that journalists should consider themselves lucky to escape without being beaten on the spot. ANEM points out that such behaviour seriously discredits the Republic of Serbia and its efforts to make progress in the democratisation of the society and particularly in relations between the authorities and the media. Such behaviour is a regression to the dark times of journalists being publicly persecuted, beaten and even executed because their questions or their reporting was unpalatable to those who wield power. For such people, the media are only acceptable when they are in the role of yes-men or subordinates and have no right to play a critical or monitoring role. ANEM also believes it is regrettable that other journalists present at the press conference failed to react to this behaviour from Ilic and Lazovic but instead displayed a lack of professional solidarity by failing to stand up to this bullying. The Association urges all other professional journalism associations both in Serbia and abroad, media freedom organisations and all political parties as well as the Serbian Parliament and Government, to put journalists under their protection and help to facilitate their work by strongly condemning the primitivism, obscenity and violence routinely demonstrated by some government officials. Such officials take advantage of their power and untouchable position in Serbia and Velimir Ilic is certainly the leader of the pack. ANEM also calls on Minister Ilic to resign his portfolio following his excesses yesterday. Slobodan Stojsic, Chairman of the ANEM Managing Board