“Unfortunately, the political climate is very similar to that of the period from 1998 to 2000, when politicians waged a war against the media, including the then Minister of Information and today’s President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić,” ANEM said in a statement.
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) on Sunday, on the World Press Freedom Day, she assessed that in Serbia he is waging a war against journalists as in the period from 1998 to 2000
“Unfortunately, the political climate is very similar to that of the period from 1998 to 2000, when politicians waged a war against the media, including the then Minister of Information, and today’s President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić“, stated ANEM in a statement.
According to ANEM, such a war against journalists is still being waged in Serbia today and, according to the results of Reporters without Borders, the behavior of ruling politicians against journalists and the media, if only that were measured, Serbia would be in 151st place out of 180 countries in which press freedom is measured.
The association pointed out that the huge number of incidents and physical attacks in which journalists were a constant target of the parapolice and the police resulted in a significant increase in the number of cases in the prosecutor’s offices and a symbolic number of verdicts, recalling that in two years more than 200 cases were formed and only five convictions for threats and violence against journalists.
The impoverishment of truly professional media
The press release stated that the impoverishment of truly professional media continued with the help of the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, which, by influencing the way commissions are formed, is making a concerted effort to direct budget funds for project co-financing exclusively to pro-government media and governmental non-governmental organizations.
“Serbia has not had a REM Council for a year and a half, so there is no one to implement the Law on Electronic Media, which results in unpunished hate speech and chaos on the air,” ANEM said, adding that the government consistently ignores the implementation of the Law on Public Media Services, which was adopted in the middle of last year.
It is emphasized that the Minister of Information and Telecommunications advertises only when he needs to additionally attack and criticize the truly professional media, which are under constant attack from the leaders of the state and the assembly.
All this, ANEM points out, contributes to the affirmation of impunity for crimes against journalists in Serbia, which culminated in the decision of the Court of Appeal regarding the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija, which, according to the Supreme Court, was the result of illegal actions by the second-instance court panel.
The association emphasized that it remains faithful to the principles of professional journalism that respects laws and codes with a strong determination that all 43 members of ANEM, as well as other independent and professional media, not only survive in complex circumstances, but also continue to strengthen and spread their influence every day despite all obstacles, obstructions, threats and attacks.
Source: Fonet, Vreme
