Ministry and "blocking-tycoon media": Targeting by the institution responsible for culture

In a year of deep social division, representatives of the government, as the most responsible for the image of society, instead of being those who calm tensions, seem to be increasingly inciting them. This time, insults are coming not only from individuals but also from institutions.

Namely, employees of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments stated to Insajder, as well as to other media, that on Tuesday, December 2, several people led by one of the state secretaries from the Ministry of Culture attempted to unlawfully access the servers of that institution in order to "delete the buildings of the General Staff from the central register of protected cultural assets."

Although the Insajder editorial team reached out to the Ministry regarding the claims made by the employees of the Institute, we did not receive any responses.

However, a few days later, the Ministry of Culture issued a statement relayed by the Tanjug agency, in which they not only claimed that this information was untrue but also asserted that it was part of an "organized media campaign spreading lies" in what they termed "blockade-tycoon media."

Media consultant and ANEM member Saša Mirković told Insajder that such a statement from the Ministry is essentially an expected consequence of the behavior of the highest representatives of the government, noting that media close to the government have created an atmosphere in which such behavior is tolerated and not sanctioned—because they themselves "do not respect either laws or codes."

The Minister demonstrated the division of media into "ours" and "theirs" shortly after his hearing at TOK, when he briefly responded to an Insajder journalist who attempted to ask him a question about his stance that "we follow our media."

"The passivity and alignment of the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications makes their job easier, as there is no barrier to this kind of behavior characterized by intimidation, to which the responsible ministry does not react," Mirković emphasizes.

He recalls that the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications was established only three years ago and that the media sector was long part of a unified "Ministry of Culture and Information," which, as he says, gives this statement a "specific connotation."

Mirković notes that the current Minister of Culture, former Minister of Justice Nikola Selaković, "knows very well what media laws prescribe and what a political circus is." He believes that the minister is "aware of the message he sends with his attempt to enter the TOK building with two media cameras close to the government."

When an institution, alongside the minister, issues a statement targeting journalists, the message to the public is clear, Mirković believes.

"This sends the message that there are no rules for them to adhere to, nor boundaries that will not be crossed. And that journalists must take care of their own safety, realizing that with such targeting, the government is preparing them for even harsher trials in the future amid tense socio-political circumstances," Mirković asserts.

When asked how ironic it is that an institution responsible for culture uses such language towards the media and divides them into compliant and non-compliant, the interlocutor replies that all boundaries have already been crossed and that "nothing surprises anymore."

Minister and the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime

Recall that on November 29, JTOK confirmed that Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković is one of the suspects in the "General Staff" case, and that he did not appear for the scheduled hearing.

His absence, as stated at that time by JTOK, was not justified by him or his defense attorney, and instead of an explanation before the prosecutor's office, Selaković stated on Informer television the same day that he had "better things to do" and that he would come "when he could."

After that, the prosecutor's office ordered the police to bring the minister for questioning, and he appeared a few hours later in front of the TOK building accompanied by two media teams—Television Informer and Pink.

"I came here on my own. Usurpers who sit in part of the building behind me, people who have usurped TOK, instead of pursuing organized crime, are now engaged in organized crime, following orders from abroad. They have continued their established practice of lying. They lie about everything they do, including that I did not respond or did not react to their call," Selaković said at that time, referring to the prosecutors of JTOK as a "blockade-criminal gang."

Selaković, according to his own words, appeared for the second time at the Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime on December 3, where he was received after waiting 45 minutes, and then received a new hearing date in the investigation.

Thus, TOK received a series of insults even after the hearing from the accused Selaković and his attorney Vladimir Đukanović.

The "General Staff" Case

In parallel with the events at TOK, members of the Serbian Assembly adopted on Wednesday, December 3 the Proposal for an Authentic Interpretation of the Special Law for the General Staff.

A month earlier, on November 7, the special law for the General Staff complex was adopted, which came into effect the very next day.

The disputed Article 9 of the special law practically ordered the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and the Republic Geodetic Authority to delete the objects from the registers within 15 days—not only the buildings of the General Staff but also the Barracks of the 7th Regiment and the Old General Staff.

A key factor in the entire case is precisely the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, whose experts have yet to remove the General Staff complex from the central register of cultural assets, even though they were ordered to do so by this law. The removal of protection is a prerequisite for any further work.

However, during the past week, employees of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments stated to Insajder that on Tuesday, December 2, several people led by one of the state secretaries from the Ministry of Culture attempted to unlawfully access the servers in that institution, "all in order to delete the buildings of the General Staff from the central register of protected cultural assets."

Conservator Desimir Tanović stated to Insajder that one state secretary appeared again at the Institute on Wednesday, December 3. The Insajder editorial team then sent questions to the Ministry of Culture, but we did not receive any responses.

However, a few days later, the Ministry of Culture issued a statement claiming that the allegations made by the employees of the Institute were untrue. In the statement, they made serious accusations and qualifications against the media that reported on the matter.

Source: Insajder