Serbia
Media development praised by SEEMOPosted Aug 9 2010
The High Court in Nis, Serbia decided to rule in favor of Serbian daily newspaper Narodnih Novina journalist Dragana Kocic and editor-in-chief Timosenko Milosavljevic in a defamation case. The two were initially sentenced to pay a fine of 1 million Serbian dinars for publishing an article that contained quotes from official documents.
The South East Europe Media Organization, a network of editors and journalists announced in a press release that it was pleased with the decision, which is a step in the right direction for media development.
In addition, SEEMO announced satisfaction with the development of Brankica Stankovic, an investigative reporter for B92 TV program “Insajder.” The team received multiple death threats during reports about the activities of the leaders of extremist football fan clubs. The Serbian Court of First Instance rejected the charges against the alleged criminals in April 2010. However, the Higher Court of Appeal has recently overruled this decision and sentenced the leader of the Partizan football fan club to one year and four months in prison for the threats.
SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said, “The court decisions in Nis and Belgrade can definitely be seen as a step in the right direction towards helping the survival of investigative journalism.”