Why is the Minister of Justice calling the police on journalists?

Is it in the public interest to ask where has the chief public prosecutor been for the past 15 years, to recall which controversial figures have been exonerated by the current president of the Supreme Court, or how the wives of officials accused of the tragedy in Novi Sad or members of the Main Board of the Serbian Progressive Party ended up in the Constitutional Court?

“Our desire was to show who these people are, how they somehow manage our lives and decide the state of this society, to present their biographies and their work results and say – these people are also part of a certain type of authority in this country, and it is important for us to know how they operate, how they judge, which cases they handle, and how they act,” said the editor-in-chief of Nova.rs, Mihailo Jovićević.

However, this is not how the Minister of Justice sees it – if you didn't know, his name is Nenad Vujić – who believes that journalists should not write about the third branch of government, explaining his stance in a statement filled with spelling errors.

“Creating the so-called 'New Database' of public prosecutors and judges under the name 'Who Delivers Justice in Serbia' represents an obvious pressure on certain judges and public prosecutors and undermines their reputation. Such databases are clearly contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights, and do not enjoy the protection of the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,” stated the minister's announcement.

Absolutely incorrect, assesses the lawyer from the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, adding that representatives of the judiciary must endure criticism.

“The information presented is completely public. It is something that already exists, for which there is no prohibition on publication, and there is an absolute interest of citizens to have information and knowledge about such matters,” explains lawyer Rade Đurić from NUNS.

The minister did not react when the highest government officials attacked the court and the prosecution when they disagreed with certain decisions.

“This only speaks to how dominant that yellow trash elite, which seized key positions in the prosecution and judiciary in 2009, still is today,” said President Aleksandar Vučić.

“It will be completely clear to us that our prosecutions have detached from the state and are absolutely supporting the implementation of a colored revolution in this country,” stated SNS MP Vladimir Đukanović.

“In our country, judges are not independent but dependent. Not all judges, with exceptions. Not all prosecutors – with the exception of… Nenad Stefanović, an honest prosecutor,” emphasized SNS Main Board member Siniša Vučinić.

“Those prosecutors who do not protect order and the law will be changed,” Vučić added.

Whose applause did the minister expect when he remained silent on this, while inviting the prosecution and police against journalists?

“Justice Minister Nenad Vujić strongly condemns the discrediting of judges and public prosecutors that contains unfounded, malicious, and false accusations of conducting political proceedings, and calls on the relevant public prosecutor's office and the Ministry of Interior to identify and prosecute all those participating in campaigns to defame judges and prosecutors,” continued the statement.

We asked the minister to clarify the invitation of the police to journalists, but we did not receive a response.

“We certainly will not retreat in the face of these threats and pressures, but it is not pleasant. I would really like to one day perform this job normally in this country. Let as many people as possible critically reflect on this job. That is not the problem. The problem is just – do not threaten us,” adds Jovićević.

A similar database was created by the investigative portal KRIK five years ago, a project that also earned international recognition for the editorial team. However, some judges sued them, seeking prison sentences for the authors, and even a ban on practicing journalism.

Source: N1