The trial for the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation has been postponed once again due to the judge's absence.
The trial of the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation in the lawsuits filed by former officials and members of the State Security Service, Milan Radonjić, Ratko Romić, and Miroslav Kurak, has been postponed for the fourth time since the beginning of the year. The absence of Judge Ljiljana Ilić, who did not attend the previous two hearings due to illness, was not explained this time.
Today, the Second Basic Court was supposed to hold a trial concerning the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation (SĆF) in the lawsuits filed by Milan Radonjić, Ratko Romić, and Miroslav Kurak, who had been previously convicted twice for the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija and then legally acquitted.
The hearing did not take place because Judge Ljiljana Ilić was absent. The next hearing is scheduled for November 14.
This was meant to be a continuation of the consolidated trial regarding the lawsuits filed by Radonjić, Romić, and Kurak, former officials and members of the State Security Service, against the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation due to a statement titled “The Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation Shocked by the Appellate Court's Ruling: A Country That Does Not Punish Murderers Has No Future”.
For the “emotional distress, damage to reputation, honor, and human rights” they sought compensation of 500,000 dinars each.
Since the consolidation of these three lawsuits, the first hearing of this year, which was supposed to take place at the end of February, was canceled due to a lawyers' strike. Subsequently, the hearing scheduled for April 11, the day marking the 26th anniversary of Slavko Ćuruvija's murder, was postponed due to the judge's illness. Then, one hearing was held at the end of April. The one scheduled for the second half of June was also not held due to the judge's health condition.
SĆF Lawyer Requested Dismissal of the Lawsuits
The lawyer for the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, Kruna Savović, requested at the only held hearing since the consolidation of the lawsuits that the lawsuits be dismissed, arguing that they are inadmissible, malicious SLAPP lawsuits. The court was expected to rule on her request.
Savović previously emphasized that this is an attempt to restrict the free expression of opinion on matters of public interest that are of significant importance to the public, given that it concerns the murder of a well-known journalist and critic of Slobodan Milošević's regime.
It is worth noting that after the acquittal of those charged with the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija, Radonjić, Romić, and Kurak filed at least 22 lawsuits against media outlets, individuals, and organizations on the same grounds.
Meanwhile, at the end of May, Judge of the Second Basic Court Vera Sredojević dismissed as unfounded the lawsuit of former head of the Belgrade center of the State Security Service, Milan Radonjić, against lawyer Aleksandar Olenik, who was sued for his reaction to the acquittal ruling in the trial for Ćuruvija's murder.
Source: Cenzolovka
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