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Arhiva priopćenjaSEEMO zabrinut zbog presude novinarki28.09.2006.
H.E. Zoran Stojkovic Minister of Justice of the Republic of Serbia Belgrade, Serbia Fax: +381 11 3616 419; 685 672 H.E. Bojan Kostres President of the Parliament of Vojvodina Novi Sad, Serbia Fax: Vienna, Your Excellencies, The Vienna-based South East
SEEMO, as well as local journalists’ associations in Serbia, are deeply concerned that many journalists are still facing criminal defamation actions in the country. Another concern is the District Court’s explanation in Nicolic´s case that a suspended sentence is less harsh than a fine. SEEMO strongly believes that comparisons between fines and suspended sentences are redundant. Both are forms of criminal punishment and both leave the journalist with the stigma of a criminal record. Although preferable to a jail sentence, a suspended sentence encourages self-censorship and is another method of preventing journalists from practicing their profession. SEEMO would also ask Your Excellencies to do everything in your power to reverse the decision in Nikolic’s case in the event that this decision is not overturned by the higher court. SEEMO asks as well to start the process of decriminalisation of defamation according to international standards. Journalists should not be punished for defamation under criminal law and all defamation actions should be heard in the civil courts. SEEMO would also like to remind Your Excellencies that an open media environment allowing for the free flow of information is a fundamental principle of any democratic society. We thank you for your attention. Yours sincerely, Oliver Vujovic --------------------------------------------------------------------- SEEMO is a regional network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe. **** SEEMO - IPI, Spiegelgasse 2/29, 1010 Vienna, Austria, Tel (SEEMO+HELP LINE): +43 1
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