"Classic intimidation": Four KRIK journalists on the defendants' bench under the threat of imprisonment.

Four journalists sat on the defendants' bench of the First Basic Court in Belgrade, where the first hearing was held in the combined case of two criminal proceedings against the editor-in-chief and responsible editor of KRIK, Stevan Dojčinović, deputy editor Bojana Jovanović, and former journalists of this investigative portal, Bojana Pavlović and Jelena Radivojević.

The criminal complaint was filed against them by the judge of the Appellate Court in Belgrade, Dušanka Đorđević, and her husband, attorney Aleksandar Đorđević, seeking a sentence of ten months in prison and a two-year ban on practicing journalism.

Before Judge Dušica Ristić, the prosecutors' attorneys, Vuk Babić and Valentina Đorđević, maintained their statements, claiming that a criminal offense was committed, as the journalists allegedly obtained and published personal data without authorization for purposes for which that data was not intended.

The prosecutors' attorneys stated that data from the Cadastre and the Business Registers Agency are used for security purposes in legal transactions, and that KRIK journalists unlawfully created a database that contained publicly available information, such as assets, which they themselves claimed was "substantial," but not acquired through scandals related to crime and corruption.

"The public interest would be justified if it involved assets acquired through crime and corruption," said attorney Babić, while attorney Đorđević added that the journalists were warned they would be sued if they published that data.

The Đorđević couple sued editor-in-chief Stevan Dojčinović and journalist Bojana Pavlović in March 2024 for the article about the database, and in July 2025, they sued database editor Bojana Jovanović and profile author Jelena Radivojević.

### The Purpose of the Database: Increasing Transparency

Bojana Jovanović, the editor of the database "Prosudi ko sudi," stated that this is a classic case of intimidating journalists, as the same judge has previously sued the KRIK editorial staff three times. She explained that her role as database editor is to coordinate the work of journalists, monitor the investigative process, and edit the text, which includes stylizing journalistic content.

She clarified that the database containing the judge's profile was created following a methodology and based on a previous database of the assets of political officials, for which they received the opinion of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection. She added that the main reason for publishing the database was to increase transparency and that the database includes profiles of 51 judges, one-third of whom agreed to an interview with KRIK.

"The judges were willing to provide additional information after the database was created; we verified that data and made necessary modifications," she said. According to Bojana Jovanović, Judge Đorđević refused to speak with KRIK and threatened legal action. No other judges warned them that publishing data in the database constituted a criminal offense.

Jovanović emphasized several times that judges are public officials and that the focus of the database is not solely on their assets, but also on the course of their careers and the cases they have adjudicated.

Judge Đorđević was a member of the panel at the Appellate Court that, as determined by the Supreme Court, issued a final judgment in the case of the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija in favor of the accused, in violation of the law.

She highlighted that all judge profiles in the database were created with due journalistic care and that they underwent a verification process for all data. She also stated that the claim in the lawsuit that they published the judge's address is false.

"We did not publish the address; we did not endanger them. We take care of personal data," Jovanović said, adding that they treat the couple similarly to how the Anti-Corruption Agency treats connected persons.

When asked by the plaintiffs' representative whether an affair concerning the Đorđevićs was uncovered while writing the profile, KRIK's deputy editor responded that it was not, nor was uncovering scandals the aim of creating this database.

### And Who Committed the Criminal Offense?

Journalist Bojana Pavlović told Judge Ristić that she stands by her testimony given during the previous proceeding. She added that the private lawsuit does not specify who committed the criminal offense and that the burden of proof lies with the plaintiffs, not left to the court's assessment. Therefore, she requested that the lawsuit be dismissed.

Defense attorney Kruna Savović contested all allegations in the lawsuit and pointed out that this is actually a pressure tactic against investigative journalism. Savović specifically challenged the fact that the author of the article, Jelena Radivojević, is now on the defendants' bench—two years after the lawsuit was filed.

"The plaintiffs had information on who the profile author was, and more than three months have passed since the beginning of the proceedings, which is the deadline according to the Criminal Procedure Act," Savović explained.

The plaintiffs knew that Jelena Radivojević was the author of the database because she contacted them while working on it. The fact that she is the author of their profile is included in the evidence of this proceeding and the parallel civil lawsuit.

On the other hand, the plaintiffs' representatives claimed that just because she sent an email does not mean she committed a criminal offense, asserting that in the civil lawsuit, KRIK journalists did not testify, and that it was only during the testimony in the previous proceeding that it became known who the author of Judge Đorđević's profile was.

The next hearing, during which Jelena Radivojević is expected to testify, is scheduled for May 18.

**Source: [Cenzolovka](https://www.cenzolovka.rs/pritisci-i-napadi/klasicno-zastrasivanje-cetvoro-novinara-krik-a-na-optuzenickoj-klupi-pod-pretnjom-kazne-zatvora/)**
**Author: Nikolija Čodanović**