02. 12. 2002

Court Enforces 1997 Media Conviction

KRAGUJEVAC, December 2, 2002 – The Kragujevac Court has issued an order for enforcement of a fine of 270,000 dinars (about 4,400 euros), imposed on the weekly Nezavisna svetlost in 1997. The Court has ordered the fine to be seized from the publication’s accounts. The fine was imposed after the weekly was convicted on libel charges brought by former Socialist Party of Serbia official Dragan Marisavljevic. The Independent Association of Serbian Journalists condemned the decision, noting that the judiciary appears to be most efficient when acting against media and journalists. The local branch of the association said that frequent media trials were giving the public the impression that media and journalists were regularly violating the law.