Solidarity Appeal from ANEM: Let’s Stop the Attack on KRIK
On Tuesday, June 10th at 9 AM, a trial will be held in the Palace of Justice against the editor-in-chief and a journalist from KRIK.
The editorial team of the investigative portal KRIK has been attacked in a manner that clearly aims at destruction. They have been sued by the head of the BIA, a former powerful official from the Ministry of the Interior, and the president's godfather—a leading businessman (who has also held one of the most influential positions in the country's infrastructure).
They have been sued three times by the accused concerning the largest marijuana plantation in Europe. They have faced lawsuits from police officers, tycoons, and ministers whose astronomical transactions have been recorded in international scandals. A judge from the Appellate Court—a member of the panel that overturned the first-instance sentences of 100 years in prison for those accused of murdering journalist Slavko Ćuruvija—has also sued them.
KRIK is currently facing 19 SLAPP lawsuits. Over 38 lawsuits have been filed against journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia before she was murdered in an assassination outside her home in Malta.
This editorial team is under attack from the most powerful individuals in Serbia—politicians, tycoons, and their accomplices from institutions, police, and intelligence services—who are accused of the most serious criminal activities. These individuals have not only been prosecuted but have also been glorified through the relativization of the criminal acts they have committed, for which the court shows understanding regardless of the law.
How many court cases will be enough to reach a critical mass for the next step in the effort to destroy the KRIK editorial team? Will they, "God forbid," meet the same fate as colleague Daphne or colleague Jan Kuciak from Slovakia?
Included in the 19 SLAPP cases is a lawsuit from Judge Dušanka Đorđević and her husband, attorney Aleksandar, in which they are seeking around 7,000 euros in a civil lawsuit.
The hearing for this lawsuit will be held tomorrow—June 10th at 9 AM in the Palace of Justice. In addition to this civil penalty, Judge Đorđević is demanding an unprecedented 10 months in prison for Stevan Dojčinović and Bojana Pavlović as well as a two-year ban on performing journalistic work.
The intensity of the attacks on female and male journalists, and on the media, through physical violence and lawsuits is leading to increasingly extreme reckonings. Symbolically, the numerous lawsuits and threats against KRIK represent what could soon happen to anyone who professionally fulfills their role.
Whether the repression is cloaked in legal jargon or direct death threats—this is no longer important. Therefore, despite our mutual differences, we must stand in solidarity against it.
Vera Matić, President of the ANEM Management Board
