15. 07. 2005

BOMB THREAT TO B92

BELGRADE, July 15, 2005 – On Thursday, July 14, just before midnight, Radio Television B92 received telephone warning on a planted explosive device to go off in about one hour time. Unidentified person called B92 around 23.25 saying that the bomb was planted in the building, because of the station’s alleged anti-Serb campaign. B92 staff had notified the police at once, and the building was evacuated. Upon the examination of the special police units for explosive devices, which clarified that it was just another hoax, the staff returned to their working posts. This was the second telephone bomb threat in three days, which were regarded as a continuation of everyday threats to which B92 was exposed, primarily via internet, for the past few weeks. On the same day, instead of debate on the amendments to changes of Public Information Act in the Parliamentary session, a series of accusations and insults were addressed to RTV B92, its editor-in-chief Veran Matic and some non-governmental organizations. After the discussion, the intensity of ominous and insulting calls to the station increased, with the telephone warning on the planted bomb received just hours later. Democratic Party urged authorities to find people behind this false bomb threats as soon as possible. “Such behavior is unacceptable in democratic societies, and such pressures on media very much remind on the nineties”, said in the statement of DP. Civic Alliance of Serbia also protested over the bomb threats to the station B92, as well as threats issued daily to certain dailies and editors of few brave media in Serbia, saying that they should not be condemned only on paper. The government should be urged constantly to identify and punish the perpetrators”, said in the statement of the Civic Alliance. GSS also called the democratic public to defend the truth and true values, and state authorities to apply the law and prevent the hooligans and so-called patriots to threaten and physically terrorize the ones fighting for the truth and respect of human rights. Liberal Democratic Fraction said B92, including several non-governmental organizations, has lately been under attack of conservative tides in Serbia because they had the courage to speak up about the events in recent past. LDF also called the democratic public in Serbia to clearly and unambiguously stand in defense of B92 and NGOs. “We have to confront to those who want to take Serbia back to the nineties. Serbia will never join the family of modern societies if it doesn’t abandon the politics of the past”, said LDF in the statement. B92 stated that the attacks on this media were intensified after the Hague Tribunal Prosecution had shown the video of execution of six Srebrenica Muslims, during the trial of Milosevic, which B92 had broadcast, and after Natasa Kandic, director of the Humanitarian Law Center, told B92 that she would inform the public, upon additional verification, on the involvement of the Serbian Radical Party Deputy President Tomislav Nikolic in killings of the civilians in Croatian village Antin in 1991. B92 also called all appropriate authorities to enable journalists to collect and publish information, and to allow journalists and media in Serbia to do their job. According to the provisions of the Public Information Act, no one is allowed, indirectly or directly, to limit the freedom of public information, nor to exert any sort of pressure on public media and its staff. Disrespect of the principle of laws and limiting media freedoms and freedom of expression threaten to seriously imperil the democratic developments in the society. B92 expects from the authorities to identify the persons behind these threats to the station as soon as possible. Independent Association of Serbian Journalists (IJAS) appealed to all state bodies to take the issue seriously and find those behind the threats to B92. IJAS also demanded from the authorities to take all necessary measures to prevent any negative development. “The reason for the threat was allegedly editorial policy of B92, which only proves that the risk of being the journalist in Serbia is still unacceptably high”, said IJAS in the statement. IJAS also called all media workers to act in solidarity and stand in defense of B92.