KRIK received the proceedings in the lawsuit against the police officer accused in the Šarić case.

Police officer Duško Mirković filed a lawsuit against the journalists of KRIK two years ago over a story in which we revealed that former Minister of the Interior Nebojša Stefanović and the head of the Security Information Agency Marko Parezanović were identified by the police as accomplices of drug lord Darko Šarić. Mirković was mentioned in the story in a single sentence—as one of the police officers accused in connection with the Šarić group.

In the lawsuit, he claimed that his honor and reputation were harmed and sought 600,000 dinars in damages.

However, at the end of April last year, the Higher Court dismissed his lawsuit as unfounded, and this decision has now been upheld by the Appellate Court in Belgrade.

Appellate Judge Olga Arsović emphasized in her ruling that KRIK's disputed article addressed cases of organized crime of exceptional public significance and that the text was based on information from police authorities and the prosecution. She also noted that Mirković's claim of a violation of the presumption of innocence was unfounded.

“The content is formulated in a way that clearly distinguishes suspicion and the actions of the competent authorities from a conclusion of guilt, and thus cannot create an impression for the average reader that the plaintiff is the perpetrator of a criminal act,” the ruling states.

Judge Arsović also highlighted that Mirković's claim that journalists had to seek his consent before publishing his photograph was unfounded.

“The plaintiff (Mirković) was an inspector in the Organized Crime Fighting Department (thus a public servant, specifically a police officer)… The publication of his photograph was done for informational purposes, related to a matter of public significance—how the system for combating organized crime functions and potential abuses within that system,” the ruling reads.

This ruling brings the proceedings to a close, and KRIK now faces 14 active lawsuits under SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) lawsuits, aimed at intimidating and pressuring the editorial team to refrain from reporting on matters of public interest.

Among those who have sued KRIK are former director of Railway Infrastructure Jelena Tanasković, who has filed two lawsuits, as well as Appellate Court judge Dušanka Đorđević, who, in addition to a civil lawsuit, has filed two criminal complaints and is seeking prison sentences and work bans for KRIK journalists. Two proceedings are also underway regarding lawsuits from Predrag Koluvija, who is accused of organizing marijuana cultivation, and KRIK has also been sued by the president's godfather Nikola Petrović.

You can read about how officials assisted Šarić here.

Read more about the trial against KRIK journalists filed by police officer Duško Mirković here.