The European Union called on Serbia on Thursday to put an end to impunity for those responsible for the killing of journalists and requested to ensure proper conditions for the free and independent work of journalists.<\/p>\n
Last week, the Court of Appeal of Serbia in Belgrade released four former members of the State Security Service of Serbia accused of the murder of journalist Slavko \u0106uruvija in April 1999.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson for the European Commission, Ana Pisonero, expressed her regret over the court\u2019s decision in Belgrade and that \u0106uruvija\u2019s murder has not yet been clarified, and the perpetrators have not been convicted, even though more than 24 years have passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe relevant authorities of Serbia must take steps to end impunity in this case and bring the perpetrators to justice. Journalists must work without pressure and freely,\u201d said Pisonero.<\/p>\n
The court overturned the first-instance judgment and acquitted Radomir Markovi\u0107 of charges of incitement to murder, as well as Milan Radonji\u0107, Miroslav Kurakin, and Ratko Romi\u0107 of charges of complicity in the murder.<\/p>\n
Slavko \u0106uruvija was killed on April 11, 1999, in the center of Belgrade, in front of the entrance to the building where he lived. He was the owner and editor of \u201cDnevni Telegraf\u201d (Daily Telegraph) and the weekly newspaper \u201cEvropljanin\u201d (European).<\/p>\n
Pisonero also recalled the recommendations from the Progress Report for Serbia, calling for the creation of conditions to respect media freedom standards in Serbia.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, EU spokesperson Peter Stano responded to questions about verbal attacks on several European media outlets by Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 in an interview, calling them \u201ccriminal media\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe usually do not comment on comments by other individuals, especially when we do not know the context. However, the EU and the European Commission have a clear stance and strongly support media freedom and journalists both in the EU and beyond. We strongly demand that journalists have the opportunity to work without pressure,\u201d said Stano.<\/p>\n
Referring to Vu\u010di\u0107\u2019s criticisms and insults directed at several European media outlets, Stano, without mentioning his name, invited the Serbian president \u201cto look around and see what his country\u2019s authorities have done for the media\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who makes such qualifications about the media speaks more about that person. For example, allowing Russian propaganda tools to be placed in Serbia. I mean RT, a Russian medium that is banned in the EU, which spreads the harshest Russian propaganda about Russia\u2019s illegal war against Ukraine,\u201d emphasized Stano.<\/p>\n
The European Union has repeatedly asked Serbia to support the EU\u2019s block sanctions against Russia, including when it comes to banning media that are sanctioned by the EU. However, Serbia continues to refuse to align its positions with those of the EU when it comes to sanctions against Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The European Union called on Serbia on Thursday to put an end to impunity for those responsible for the killing of journalists and requested to ensure proper conditions for the free and independent work of journalists. Last week, the Court of Appeal of Serbia in Belgrade released four former members of the State Security Service […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":64179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[308,1890,243,151,1253,1894,6032,301,749,787],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n