11. 05. 2011

Strong criticism of cameraman attacker verdict

Belgrade, May 11, 2011. (B92) - The decision to sentence an attacker on B92 cameraman Boško Branković to only ten months of house arrest is scandalous, media representatives agreed. 

Editors of leading newspapers say that they are not surprised with inappropriately mild sentence since attackers on journalists have so far been getting ridiculous sentences.

Daily Politika Editor-in-Chief Dragan Bujošević says that the court's message is "Beat the journalists wherever you can".

"If you compare let's say Velimir Ilić, he did not even stand trial for trying to kick that journalist. Nobody even thought about starting the proceeding but a man who hit Velimir Ilić got two years in prison. It means that you cannot touch a politician but you can do whatever you want to a journalist," he pointed out.

Milan Savatović was sentenced to ten months of house arrest and the other two attackers were sentenced to six and three months in prison and three years probation.

According to weekly Vreme Editor-in-Chief Filip Švarm, the verdict is a call to hooligans to continue attacking journalists and a message to media representatives to keep quiet.

"I think that it is a great scandal that is sending a message to every hooligan, every punk that they can beat up journalists, smash their equipment, because a punishment de facto does not exist, punishments are symbolic and are inappropriate for the committed crimes," he stressed.

The media representatives have also pointed to the mild punishment to hooligans who beat up journalist Teofil Pančić and B92 Editor-in-Chief Veran Matić has repeated that a stiffer sentence is envisaged for threats made against journalists than for inflicting serious injuries.

"According to that logic, it turns out it pays better to beat a journalist up than only threaten them, and the judges are not to blame for that, the legislator is," Matić explained.

He pointed out that three journalists were living under 24-hour police protection in Serbia, including B92 reporter Brankica Stanković.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić also believes that sentences should be stiffer. One of the solutions he has proposed is to give journalists an official person status.

"Attacks on them should have certain consequences and sanctions, much stiffer than the one that followed. Such stiffer sanctions would follow if the journalists' position was defined as persons who do socially important work," the minister said.