The Coalition for Media Freedom warns the public that the messages of state officials who publicly lament the allegedly threatened rights of regime propagandists who mock the rule of law and journalistic profession are a threat to the entire society because they hint at the torture of dissenters and threaten the system of power sharing.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, said yesterday that the day when Dragan Vucicevic, editor-in-chief of the pro-regime tabloid Informer, went to prison is a sad day for the entire media scene in the country, with a cynical remark that she has no right to comment on court verdicts.
In this way, the Prime Minister not only commented on the “court verdict”, but also commented on the non-existent court verdict, thereby spreading false information that Vucicevic himself has been spreading about the whole case for days.
The performance with going to prison followed after Vucicevic refused to pay the fine imposed on him for insulting the journalist Jugoslav Cosic.
The prime minister’s “absence of commentary” on court rulings is all the more dangerous because it actually represents open pressure on the judiciary.
Equally dangerous, but even more hypocritical, is the Prime Minister’s mourning over the media scene in Serbia.
“I can say that the most striking thing in all this is the silence of the journalists’ and media associations – thunderous silence. I think it is a great shame and if I were in their place I would be ashamed”, said the Prime Minister in praise of professional journalism in Serbia.
She did not hesitate to mention the concept of shame, and all this from the position of the protector and spokesperson of the part of the media scene which is the embodiment of shamelessness.
Unfortunately, this absurd performance is not just a performance, it is a clear demonstration and message from the top of the government that they remain consistent regarding the collapse of democratic institutions. The judiciary and remaining professional journalists and media are next.
We invite fellow journalists to remain consistent with the principles and ethics of the profession and report to professional associations all pressures and attacks to which they are exposed.
We also call on the representatives of the judiciary to resist the pressures of the executive power because it is their duty.
Silence means support for the collapse of the rule of law, from whichever public profession the silence comes from.
The Coalition for Media Freedom consists of the Association of Media, the Association of Online Media (AOM), the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Business Association of the Association of Local and Independent Media “Local Press” and the Slavko Curuvija Foundation.
April 4th, 2023
