Serbia: EFJ condemns acquittals in Slavko Ćuruvija murder case
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) supports the demonstration organised today at 2pm in front of the Belgrade Court of Appeal to denounce the outrageous acquittal of the alleged killers of Serbian journalist Slavko Ćuruvija. We call on the Serbian authorities to put an end to impunity in this case.
“The murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, which was ordered and organised by the state, remains an unpunished crime, 25 years after it was committed and nine years after the start of the trial,” the Slavko Curuvija Foundation said, noting that the Court of Appeal acquitted four members of the State Security Service and that “the judiciary surrendered to force.”
The EFJ strongly condemns the verdict of the Belgrade Court of Appeal, on 2 February. In this decision, all defendants were acquitted, leaving the 1999 murder of Slavko Ćuruvija unresolved. This latest verdict significantly deviates from the two previous first-instance court decisions, which had resulted in extensive prison sentences for the defendants.
“The acquittal of those charged with the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija is a dramatic signal for journalists and media in Serbia, but also for democracy,” said the EFJ President Maja Sever. “This court decision is not only a deliberate violation of the rules of the rule of law, but also an incitement to commit further crimes against journalists.”
