(IPI/IFEX) – IPI is strongly condemning the repressive action taken against “Evropljanin” (European) magazine in a Belgrade court on 23 October 1998. IPI has been informed that the court found that articles and illustrations in the most recent issue of “Evropljanin” violated Article 67 of the new Public Information Law. As we indicated in previous […]
(IPI/IFEX) – IPI is strongly condemning the repressive action taken against
“Evropljanin” (European) magazine in a Belgrade court on 23 October 1998.
IPI has been informed that the court found that articles and illustrations
in the most recent issue of “Evropljanin” violated Article 67 of the new
Public Information Law.
As we indicated in previous correspondence, IPI views this law as a
draconian measure intended to silence the critical voice of the independent
media in Yugoslavia. It is imperative that in times of crises the public are
provided access to diverse published opinion to keep them fully informed, to
stimulate the public debate and to enable them to adequately evaluate the
actions of their representatives. This law is evidently designed to stifle
debate, curb dissent and to present the public with only the authorities’
perspective.
According to our information, the court upheld charges filed against
“Evropljanin”‘s publishing company, its publisher Ivan Tadic, and editors
Slavco Curuvija and Dragan Bujusevic. Exorbitant fines were handed out to
these first victims of the new law in what we see as a calculated move to
force the magazine to cease publishing. Slavko Curivija was fined 800,000
Dinars ($US 80,000 approx.), Dragan Bujosevic and Ivan Tadic were fined
400,000 Dinars each, and DeTePress – the publishing company – was penalised
to the sum of 800,000 Dinars.
IPI firmly believes that there are absolutely no grounds for a conviction
and that the court failed to recognise everyone’s right “to seek, receive
and impart information and ideas,” as guaranteed by Article 19 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The law is also in clear violation of
the European Convention on Human Rights, to which the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia is a signatory, and violates Article 46 of the Serbian
Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of the media and prohibits
censorship.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the President:
convictions related to it, and to abandon his campaign to clamp down on the
independent media
Appeals To
H. E. Slobodan Milosevic
President of Yugoslavia
Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
e-mail: slobodan.milosevic@gov.yu
Fax: +381 11 367 25 48
