13. 08. 2007

ALARMING DEATH THREATS AGAINST EDITOR OF RTV TNT IN BELA CRKVA

H.E. Vojislav Kostunica
Prime Minister of Serbia
Belgrade, Serbia

H.E. Dragan Jocic, Minister of Interior

Vienna, 13 August 2007

Your Excellencies,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is alarmed at the death threats made against Stefan Cvetkovic, Editor-in-Chief of the Independent Radio-Television station TNT in the the town of Bela Crkva in Serbia.

According to information before SEEMO, Cvetkovic received telephone threats from a male voice calling from an unknown number. According to SEEMO´s sources, the threat could be an attempt to prevent TNT from investigating crime. In the past, Cvetkovic has received threats because he relased video footage of the activities of certain police officers. Some of the officers were later dismissed from the police force.

SEEMO asks the Serbian authorities to investigate all the circumstances related to these death threats. SEEMO reminds Your Excellencies that there have been many cases of threats and attacks on journalists in Serbia in recent years, including the still unsolved murders of Milan Pantic from the daily Vecernje novosti (in 2001) and Slavko Curuvija, owner of Dnevni telegraf and the magazine Evropljanin (in 1991), as well the the death of freelancer Dada Vujasinovic (in 1994). There are also several other cases of threats against journalists where the attackers have not been found, including this year´s attempted murder of journalist Dejan Anastasijevic who works for the weekly magazine Vreme.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic
SEEMO Secretary General