[spectre] B92 Statement against anonymous perpetrators

[Andreas Broeckmann]

From: mediawatch at lists.opennet.org
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:15:29 +0100
To: mediawatch at lists.opennet.org
via: <nettime>

B92 pressed criminal charges against anonymous perpetrators
http://www.b92.net/eng/

Belgrade, February 25, 2008 ñ B92 has submitted criminal charges to the
Fourth Municipal Public Prosecutorís Office today, thus directly
informing police authorities about numerous threats of physical
liquidation that B92 journalists and editors had received, primarily
through electronic mail, for the last couple of days.

We consider those threats as an attempt to exert pressure on our media
company to change our editorial policy, as well as to force us to
suppress facts and filter the news, thus allowing restriction of free
flow of information, ideas and opinions. We are determined and resolute
to resist such pressures, as we have successfully done in the past.

B92 points out that the defense of the constitutional order, governance
of law and democratic heritage calls for defense of freedom of
expression and press freedom. Valid Constitution and legal regulations
in this country guarantee freedom of the press and prohibit censorship.
Valid legal acts in this country prohibit physical and any other
threats directed towards journalists and media in general.

We are aware of the fact that difficult situation our society had faced
with contributed to the dregs of society coming to surface. The
messages weíve received bear witness to this as its contents lack
refinement and are abundant in vulgarities. The way the messages are
sent (from a fictitious email addresses, usually via West European and
American anonymous electronic mail providers), reflects hypocrisy and
cowardice of its senders.

The outcome of the charges pressed so far against threats and assaults
is not encouraging. Throughout all these years, only a single case
ended with court conviction that came into effect as the suspended
prison sentence. Other cases either expired, or criminal acts are being
qualified more mildly then we think it is appropriate, the perpetrators
are not being revealed, or in case they are, the procedure of indicting
them is being unnecessarily prolonged.

B92 insists that this bad practice change, meaning that pressures,
threats and assaults on media and journalists should face criminal
proceedings and appropriate sanctions in a way that will acknowledge
full awareness of the state about the significance of media freedom in
a democratic society. That will, in turn, result not only in protecting
B92 and its journalists, but also in protecting the right of the public
to be duly informed about the issues it is entitled to know about.

Veran Matic

--

The OSCE condemns attacks on journalists

BELGRADE, 25 February, 2008 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia,
Ambassador Hans Ola Urstad, criticized violent attacks aimed at
journalists following last week's  "Kosovo is Serbia" rally in
Belgrade.

"Targeted or indiscriminate violence or threats against those who cover
news stories is a serious violation of journalists' rights to carry out
their work freely and objectively report on the current events in the
country."

"Serbian citizens as well as others are thus denied their right to a
free and open flow of information. Freedom of expression is enshrined
in numerous international agreements and in the constitutions of most
countries, including Serbia."

Ambassador Urstad condemned the ongoing direct threats against B92 and
other media and called for better protection of all national and
international journalists.

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Miklos Haraszti also
decried the violence and explicit and indirect threats against media
and emphasised that "also during times of tension or unauthorized
demonstrations, journalists must be allowed to carry out their duty of
reporting."






#  distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
#  <nettime>  is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
#  collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
#  more info: http://mail.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l
#  archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime at kein.org