“Police, BIA keep silent on murder of journalist”

BELGRADE An answer as to who killed Serbian journalist Slavko Curuvija could be found by going into “parallel mechanisms” of the State Security Service. This is according to the commission on murder of journalists. “Police, BIA keep silent on murder of journalist” Some of those who could have information about the murder still work in the Serbian police (MUP) and the Security-Information Agency (BIA). The Commission has managed to gather all documents regarding Curuvija's murder. The file contains more than 10,000 pages of documents that have so far been in the possession of the police, Prosecution, BIA and courts. The documents have been scanned and can be viewed in a special police software which is available to the Commission. The program not only recognizes names but it also creates schemes of their mutual relations and a time and geographic view of the crime. Such data analysis allows analysts to point out ties to investigator that they may not have known about. However, despite the modern technology, a key breakthrough depends on the human factor. “Knowing how other crimes from the organized crime sphere were solved, and Curuvija’s murder is one of them, we have decided to encourage all those who have knowledge about the crime to tell us data that could lead to the solving of the case and to express readiness to propose the Prosecution to give efficient protection to such witnesses,” Commission President Veran Matic has said. Today marks 14 years since Curuvija was murdered in Belgrade. The Commission is authorized to take witness statements and statements taken by the police and the Prosecution are recorded. Many witnesses have come forward and some insist on speaking to Matic. The first result of the Commission is finding a file and evidence collected immediately after journalist Dada Vujasinovic had been found dead in her apartment on April 9, 1004. The evidence was misplaced during the evacuation of a police station during NATO bombing in 1999. The Commission has interviewed former Yugoslav Army Chief of the General Staff General Momcilo Perisic who had said that he had been arrested by those who “killed Dada Vujasinovic“. The Commission is checking new information in the case of murdered journalist Milan Pantic and the police are trying to precisely reconstruct the events of the day he was killed on June 11, 2001 in Jagodina. The Commission also accepted to look into deaths of RTS workers during NATO bombing in 1999. The case will be treated as a war crime and the Commission will investigate whether anyone else aside from the RTS director, is responsible. Independent Association of Journalists (NUNS) President Vukasin Obradovic has in the meantime decided to resign as a member of the Commission. He does not agree with an idea that the Commission should propose the Prosecution to “provide protection to persons who were directly involved in the organization of Curuvija's murder”. Matic says that the Commission did not say that the protection should be provided to those who organized the crime but to those who could give key information in their statements. “The Commission’s idea is to get to the truth and convictions,” he pointed out. Members of the commission on murder of journalists are seen during a meeting (Darko Cirkov) Politika

“Police, BIA keep silent on murder of journalist”

Some of those who could have information about the murder still work in the Serbian police (MUP) and the Security-Information Agency (BIA).

The Commission has managed to gather all documents regarding Ćuruvija's murder. The file contains more than 10,000 pages of documents that have so far been in the possession of the police, Prosecution, BIA and courts.

The documents have been scanned and can be viewed in a special police software which is available to the Commission.

The program not only recognizes names but it also creates schemes of their mutual relations and a time and geographic view of the crime.

Such data analysis allows analysts to point out ties to investigator that they may not have known about. However, despite the modern technology, a key breakthrough depends on the human factor.

“Knowing how other crimes from the organized crime sphere were solved, and Ćuruvija’s murder is one of them, we have decided to encourage all those who have knowledge about the crime to tell us data that could lead to the solving of the case and to express readiness to propose the Prosecution to give efficient protection to such witnesses,” Commission President Veran Matić has said.

Today marks 14 years since Ćuruvija was murdered in Belgrade.

The Commission is authorized to take witness statements and statements taken by the police and the Prosecution are recorded. Many witnesses have come forward and some insist on speaking to Matić.

The first result of the Commission is finding a file and evidence collected immediately after journalist Dada Vujasinović had been found dead in her apartment on April 9, 1004.

The evidence was misplaced during the evacuation of a police station during NATO bombing in 1999.

The Commission has interviewed former Yugoslav Army Chief of the General Staff General Momčilo Perišić who had said that he had been arrested by those who “killed Dada Vujasinović“.

The Commission is checking new information in the case of murdered journalist Milan Pantić and the police are trying to precisely reconstruct the events of the day he was killed on June 11, 2001 in Jagodina.

The Commission also accepted to look into deaths of RTS workers during NATO bombing in 1999. The case will be treated as a war crime and the Commission will investigate whether anyone else aside from the RTS director, is responsible.

Independent Association of Journalists (NUNS) President Vukašin Obradović has in the meantime decided to resign as a member of the Commission. He does not agree with an idea that the Commission should propose the Prosecution to “provide protection to persons who were directly involved in the organization of Ćuruvija's murder”.

Matić says that the Commission did not say that the protection should be provided to those who organized the crime but to those who could give key information in their statements.

“The Commission’s idea is to get to the truth and convictions,” he pointed out.