IFEX donosi vijesti iz Srbije

08.03.2006.

To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest)

From: Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), mediawatch@lists.opennet.org

 

The following is an excerpt of the ANEM Weekly Media Update, February 28-March 7, 2006:

 

ANEM WEEKLY MEDIA UPDATE

February 28-March 7, 2006

 

B92 COMPLAINS AGAINST JOCIC

 

BELGRADE, March 2, 2006 (B92) - B92 will make a complaint to the Public Information Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic against the Police Minister Dragan Jocic for refusing to provide the official note taken during the interrogation of Milorad Ulemek, the defendant in the murder case of the Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, in the night of his surrender.

 

Responding to the request for information of B92's investigative program Insider, Jocic admitted that the official note had been made; however, he could not provide it as long as the legal case was in process.

 

However, the pokesperson of the District Court's Special Department in Belgrade Maja Kovacevic said the note was rather useless to the Court, since the Court dealt only with offenses under the indictment for murder of the Prime Minister.

 

This means that Jocic's claim, that the content of the note could not be made public until the end of the legal proceedings against Ulemek, was untrue.

 

B92 intends to do whatever it takes, within the the legal provisions, to inform the broad public of what Ulemek, Jocic and director of the Security Information Agency Rade Bulatovic talked about in the cabinet of the Police Minister that night.

 

AUTHORITIES FLOUT THE LAW?

 

BELGRADE, March 3, 2006 (Beta) - The Public Information Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic said that the authorities in Serbia violated the right of the citizens and media to information.

 

Sabic maintained that there were 222 cases reported with alleged violation of the right to information by some state bodies.

 

Sabic also said that neither of those cases was treated, adding that their copies had been forwarded to the Ministry of Culture and Media.

 

"A great number of state bodies disrespect the legal right of citizens and media to obtain information of public interest, envisaged by the Free Access to Information Act. The citizens and media should stand up for the respect of their right to know and make an official complaint if somebody is violating it", said Sabic.

 

Povratak