Serbia Jails Attackers Of Journalist

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BERLIN/BELGRADE (Worthy News) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has welcomed the four-year jail sentence given to Dragoljub Simonović, the ex-mayor of Grocka, a suburb of Serbia’s capital Belgrade, for ordering an arson attack on journalist Milan Jovanović’s home.

The court also gave a four-year sentence to Aleksandar Marinković, who set fire to the house with a Molotov cocktail at around 3 a.m. on December 12, 2018, while Jovanović, a reporter for the independent news website Žig Info, and his wife were inside.

Additionally, three years were given to Vladimir Mihailović and two-and-a-half years to Igor Novaković, trial observers said.

Monday’s ruling in the landmark trial came at a time when Serbia, which seeks to join the European Union, is under pressure to improve press freedom.

“The Serbian court’s decision to convict the individuals, including a former mayor and ruling party politician behind the 2018 arson attack on investigative journalist Milan Jovanović’s residence is encouraging news,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative in a statement to Worthy News.

ROBUST MESSAGE

“This verdict sends a robust message from Serbian authorities that violence against journalists will be met with consequences, even if it is perpetrated by politicians. In Serbia, journalists face threats, intimidation, and violence all too often. Authorities must continue to combat impunity for such crimes to prevent them,” Mong added.

The four assailants were originally given longer sentences in 2021.

In its April 26 ruling, the Court of Appeal reportedly reduced their sentences. It reclassified the offense as less severe as it was not established that large-scale damage occurred, trial sources said.

Jovanović was at home in the Belgrade suburb of Vrčin when he was attacked. He and his wife escaped through a back window and watched as their entire property, including a car, was destroyed.

It highlighted broader concerns about the plight of journalists in Serbia who “have been targeted in smear campaigns, violence, and threats, often perpetrated by political figures or public officials,” the CPJ added.

The press advocacy group also recalled the murders of Serbian journalist Slavko Ćuruvija in 1999 and other media personnel in the Balkan nation.

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