27. 12. 2013

DAILY "POLITIKA" DID NOT VIOLATE JOURNALISTS` CODE OF ETHICS

Belgrade, December 27, 2013 (Politika) - By publishing articled  "Good Friends Are Going to Court" and "It is Not Clear What Will Sonja Biserko Testify About", on 13 and 24 November in print and online editions, the daily "Politika" did not violate the provisions of the Code (of Ethics) of Journalists of Serbia.

Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, with the consent of Sonja Biserko, filed a complaint for the commentary published on 13 November in which, as noted, the name Biserko was published as a potential witness for Croatia in a dispute with Serbia before the International Court of Justice. In the opinion of the complainant, it is contrary to international legal customs and practices that the names of witnesses in transnational disputes be kept secret so as not to jeopardize their safety, while the controversial commentary actually launched a media campaign against Biserko.

The majority of the commission members deem that the publication of the names of potential witnesses is not a violation of the Code, and that there is public interest to know the details of the dispute, which Croatia is conducting against Serbia before the International Court of Justice. In neither of the two controversial text the Commission found no element of discrimination based on political or other opinion, what was indicated by the complaint, nor could it conclude that the newspaper has been campaigning against Sonja Biserko.

Thus, at the meeting of 12 December, with six votes "for" and one "against", the decision was made by the Complaints Commission of the Press Council made up of: Zoran Ivošević, Tamara Skroza, Philip Svarm, Petar Jeremic, Stojan Markovic, Bozo Prelević and Vlado Mares .