07. 02. 2007

AGAINST HATE SPEECH AND ETHNIC IMPLICATIONS

BELGRADE, February 7, 2007 – The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strenuously protests over the media reports that rouse discrimination, hate and hostility to individuals on the basis of their belonging or not belonging to certain national or ethnic group.

President of the Serbian Unity Party and former vice-commander of the Serbian Volunteers Troop Borislav Pelevic announced, at the press conference held on February 5, 2007 in Belgrade, filing the complaint against Filip Svarm, author of the documentary series “The Unit” and the producer of the documentary – Vreme weekly and TV B92 – because, as he said, “the documentary was a falsification with intentional anti-Serbs implications”.

Although the documentary was aired several times, Pelevic had decided to file the complaint only after Svarm winning prestigious award for journalism Jug Gizelj. At the aforementioned press conference, Pelevic accused TV B92 of being “paid to lead anti-Serbs politics”, calling the participants in the series “bribed, drunk or drugged”, questioning the nationality of the author of the documentary and the chief editor of TV B92 and insinuating that Serbian journalists would have been hanged in the heart of Zagreb if they had, by any chance, made such film in Croatia and about Croatian special police unit.

Not disputing the right of anyone, including Borislav Pelevic, to claim legal protection if deemed those rights to be violated, ANEM urges all media not to agree to being used for hate speech propaganda. ANEM also notes that Pelevic’s lists of unfit journalists, referring to their alleged nationality, unmistakably remind of Vojislav Seselj’s methods during nineties. The Association thus considers it utterly unacceptable that the lowest discrediting mechanisms be reinstituted in Serbia in 2007.

ANEM notes that the hate speech is prohibited by the Public Information Act and appeals to all journalists and media to refrain from announcing such statements, but also to act in solidarity with Filip Svarm, Vreme weekly and TV B92, all exposed to criticism and attacked for the documentary that stands for the brightest examples of investigative journalism in Serbia, and also with all journalists exposed to pressures for their professional conduct.

Sasa Mirkovic,
ANEM Chairman