09. 04. 2013

CHARGES FOR THREATENING JOURNALIST

Nis, April 9, 2013 (Politika) - Nis Police have filed criminal charges against three persons suspected of threatening journalist of "Juzne vesti" Predrag Blagojevic.

The criminal charges against three persons, Milutin I., director of "Gradske toplane" in Nis, Dobrivoje S. and Mija J., all from Nis, have been filed over threatening safety of the journalist on assignment.

After a text published on internet portal "Juzne vesti" about the employment on the basis of political affiliation in the "Gradska toplana" in Nis, Milutin I. called Blagojevic and told him: "You have lived in America. Let me ask you, do you think you would have lived to see the next morning if you had published something like that over there?" Blagojevic reported the threats to the police, providing the audio recording of the telephone conversation.

Blagojevic was recently threatened again, this time by Dobrivoje S. and Mija J., also over the phone. The journalist had recorded the conversation again, in which Dobrivoje had identified himself as "Colonel Dobrivoje" and said Blagojevic had made a problem for Serbia and the colonel had been sent from Belgrade to Nis to interrogate him. Dobrivoje then told the journalist he would be informed tomorrow of the meeting point. On the other hand, Mija J. was brief, telling Blagojevic to "be careful of what he writes, otherwise..."

The Nis police inspected recorded telephone conversations and tracked call records with the telephone company made to Blagojevic by Milutin I., Dobrivoje S. and Mija J. and filed criminal charges against them. For the criminal offense threatening safety of a journalist on assignment, the prison sentence from 6 months to 5 years is prescribed.