The court dismissed the lawsuit filed by Kurir against KRIK.
The Commercial Court in Belgrade has rejected the lawsuit filed by the publisher of Kurir last year against KRIK, in which it claimed that we disseminated false information and undermined the reputation of this tabloid. The lawsuit followed after KRIK's portal Raskrikavanje, which verifies the accuracy of information published in the media, determined that tabloids published 1,150 manipulative news stories on their front pages during 2023 – of which Kurir accounted for 56. The ruling is not final, and the publisher of Kurir, Mondo Inc., can appeal it.
The publisher of Kurir sued KRIK last year after our portal Raskrikavanje published an analysis stating that this regime-controlled tabloid had published at least 56 unfounded, biased, or manipulative news stories on its front pages in 2023. In addition to KRIK, the lawsuit was also filed against several other media outlets that reported on the analysis.
In the lawsuit filed with the Commercial Court in Belgrade, Kurir claimed that we published inaccurate information in our analysis, thus damaging their business reputation and causing them harm. They requested the court to determine that we are unfair competition and to order us to pay them 11 million dinars. However, in the lawsuit, they did not specify which information in our text was allegedly inaccurate.
Judge Ana Novaković dismissed the lawsuit as unfounded. In her ruling, she stated that in this case, it cannot be regarded as unfair competition since KRIK is a media outlet, specifically engaged in public information, and this area is regulated by another law – the Law on Public Information and Media. The ruling is first-instance, and Kurir can appeal it.
This is the third lawsuit initiated against KRIK by the publisher of Kurir. Almost identical lawsuits were filed two years earlier for the same reason – because Raskrikavanje published an analysis of front pages. So far, one case has been finalized in our favor.
The KRIK editorial board has been inundated with SLAPP lawsuits for years, which are filed to influence our work – to intimidate and overwhelm journalists so that they cease reporting on issues of public significance.
Among those who have sued KRIK are high-ranking state officials, individuals close to the Serbian Progressive Party, and President Aleksandar Vučić. Among other things, KRIK has been sued twice by the judge of the Appellate Court in Belgrade, Dušanka Đorđević, who even seeks prison sentences and work prohibitions for journalists through criminal charges. You can read more about this here.
Domestic and international journalism and media organizations have repeatedly condemned these lawsuits, claiming that their aim is to intimidate and exhaust the KRIK editorial team, which they have fully supported.
Source: KRIK
