03. 06. 2014

OSCE representative meets Vucic to discuss media

Mijatovic said that the Monday meeting with Vucic about taking down websites and blocking information sources and comment sections on the Internet had been constructive.

She pointed out that she issued a statement on December 13 last year in which she expressed concern over hacker attacks on a number of information websites and illegal removal of research articles from some online media.

According to Mijatovic, the trend has continued and gained new aspects, which is why she issued a statemet on May 27, in order to draw the attention of the authorities to the problem.

"This situation continued to develop in the same way during the weekend, and on Monday the website pescanik.net was attacked and brought down. My message to the government remains: these actions need to be investigated and those behind them must be held accountable," she said. "It is the role and duty of the government to protect and nurture freedom of expression whether online or offline."

She stresses that she received assurances from Vucic that he personally and his government will tackle these issues.

"Prime Minister Vucic and I agreed to meet the first chance we get to discuss these and other issues regarding the media. My office will continue to keep track of the situation and be prepared to help in any way possible," Mijatovic said in her statement.

Vucic sought earlier an apology from the OSCE and Mijatovic for spreading false claims.

He reacted to Mijatovic's recent statement calling on the Serbian authorities to stay out of the work of online media by saying he had asked her to supply even a single piece of evidence to corroborate the claim that the Serbian government had disabled the websites drugastrana.com and teleprompter.rs or taken down anyone's blog from the website of the daily newspaper Blic and added that no such evidence had been given.