12. 04. 2013

On anniversary of murder, OSCE warns against impunity

Vienna, April 12, 2013 (B92) - Thursday marks 14 years since prominent Serbian journalist Slavko Ćuruvija was gunned down in front of his apartment building in Belgrade.

On the anniversary of the murder, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović urged Serbian authorities to honour the pledge they made to investigate this and other killings of journalists.

Ćuruvija, was the owner of Dnevni Telegraf newspaper and Evropljanin weekly magazine.

"Fourteen years after the murder of Ćuruvija justice has still not been served. The killings of journalists Dada Vujasinović and Milan Pantić also remain unsolved. If instigators of such violence against journalists remain unpunished, it sends a dangerous message that such crimes are tolerated," said Mijatović.

"Authorities have a duty not only to publicly condemn violence against journalists, but also to ensure that both perpetrators and masterminds are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Journalists must feel protected when they report on issues that affect our lives and our society," said Mijatović.

"I continue to monitor the case of Slavko Ćuruvija and I also continue to follow all cases in OSCE countries where journalists were killed in relation to their work," she said. "The families, friends and colleagues of these journalists, as well as the societies as a whole, deserve to know the truth."