09. 08. 2007

JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION PROTESTS SLOW INVESTIGATIONS

BELGRADE, 9 August 2007 (Beta) - The calls of NUNS for information about the investigations of murdered journalists cases remain unanswered.

The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) has over the last year called on the authorities a total of 17 times to release information on the investigations of the murders of journalists Radislava Vujasinović, Slavko Ćuruvija and Milan Pantić to no avail.

NUNS is also offering help to the authorities in the investigations.

There have been no responses from state officials regarding the letters sent by NUNS, and the organization has had to go through Trustee for Information of Public Importance Radoljub Šabić for responses.

Šabić said that he has reacted every time NUNS has requested such information, but that the state officials rarely respond to him either.

“The situation used to be tragic, and the Dada Vujasinović case is one I especially remember. NUNS asked for an update on the investigation, and the only answer from the district prosecutor was that it was ongoing and that no other information can be revealed,” Šabić said.

Šabić said that the laws call for state institutions to either provide information or risk fines, but that the government rarely, if ever, implements these regulations.

He said that the least cooperative institution is the Security Information Agency (BIA).

“The problem with BIA is that they not only refrain from answering, they downright ignore you. BIA does not answer the demands of citizens or journalists, they do not abide by the requests of the trustee, and they do not even recognize the authority of the Serbian Supreme Court."

"They do not fulfill their elementary obligations, and do not even publish their yearly reports,” Šabić said.