10. 08. 2006

CONDITIONAL PRISON SENTENCE FOR SENIOR EDITOR OF RTV KURSUMLIJA A SERIOUS CASE OF MEDIA FREEDOM VIOLATION

The first degree judgement by the Municipal Court in Prokuplje read that Slavko Savic was guilty for broadcasting text messages (SMS) written and sent by viewers, among which there were some, anonymously sent, that read that Slavko Ilic, an MP in the Municipal Assembly of Kursumlija, had stolen a bottle of grape brandy from a store. The text messages were broadcast from March 11 till April 1, 2005. The relevant higher court rejected the defendant's complaint on the ground that it was unfounded, and confirmed the first degree sentence of four months of imprisonment, conditionally 12 months, for the senior editor of RTV Kursumlija. ANEM considers such a sentence an example of serious violation of media freedoms, and note that such anachronous criminal statute is a serious threat to free media. Courts have also often showed a serious lack of true understanding of the role and position of journalists and media organizations in society, and the same happened even in those cases where legal acts allowed some space for acquitting media organizations and journalists that carried out their work in line with the highest standards of their profession. ANEM reminds of a provision in the Public Information Act, which limits the rights to privacy protection of high state officials and politicians, in cases when the piece of information in question is important for the general public due to the importance of the function that the person is carrying out. In this way, those in charge have failed to meet the expectations of various media organizations, journalists and general public, since such practice of the courts in Serbia serves only to deprive the general public of their right to important information. ANEM appeals to the relevant judicial bodies to take in consideration all the valid legal acts in similar cases and thus make their own contribution to the defence of media rights and in supporting media in informing the general public on everything that is in their best interest to know. Sasa Mirkovic, ANEM Chairman