07. 03. 2008

STATEMENT ISSUED AFTER THE MEETING OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA WITH MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES

President of the Republic of Serbia, Boris Tadic, and representatives of media organizations and journalists' associations have agreed today that state institutions and bodies must provide conditions for safe and unobstructed work of all media professionals and media organizations.

Media representatives informed the President about the cases of violent behaviour against journalists on the occasion of recently held protests against unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo and Metohia.

Media representatives pointed out that violence against journalists had been supported and encouraged by certain state officials.

President Boris Tadic and media representatives demanded once again that all the murders of journalists are solved and that criminal charges against perpetrators are then filed.
 
Participants in this meeting agreed in their assessments that certain political stakeholders had been trying to recreate the atmosphere similar to the one from the nineties, in which people who dared to think differently were called traitors, when such labels were used to silence the journalists who did their job professionally, impartially and unbiasedly. It was concluded that dividing people into the co-called patriots and traitors was in fact an instant of abuse of the present political situation in Serbia, and that such labelling of citizens, media representatives and public figures was absolutely unacceptable.

Representatives of the Independent Association of Journalists in Serbia, Journalists Association of Serbia, Association of Independent Electronic Media and Independent Journalists Association of Vojvodina were all present at the meeting with President Tadic.

Editors-in-chief of the news agencies Beta and Fonet, as well as those of the dailies "Blic" and "Danas", weeklies "Ekonomist", "Nedeljni telegraf" and "Republika" were also present at this meeting. Editors-in-chief of RTV B92, VIN TV production, Mreža TV production, RTV Kragujevac and Radio 021 also participated in this meeting.

Belgrade, March 7, 2008