Commission to defend honor of profession, B92’s Matić says

BELGRADE Newly formed government commission tasked with finding out the truth about murders of journalists will start its work on Monday. The Serbian government formed the commission on Thursday and appointed B92 Editor-in-Chief Veran Matic to head the body that will look into the probes related to the deaths of Dada Vujasinovic, Slavko Curuvija and Milan Pantic. Commission to defend honor of profession, B92’s Matic says Journalists Branislav Jovanovic, Ljiljana Smajlovic and Vesna Malisic, Police Director Milorad Veljovic, Serbian police (MUP) representatives Rodoljub Milovic and Slavisa Softic and Security-Information Agency (BIA) representatives Zeljko Raseta, Ivica Petrovic and Nebojsa Vujicic are also members of the commission. Matic told dailies Blic, Politika and Danas how he had initiated the forming of the commission. “We attend commemorations for our murdered colleagues and call on the authorities to solve the murders. Every new government promises it will do it, that it is one of the priorities but we have no seen any results so far. Institutions of the system are of course the most responsible for that but our profession holds some kind of responsibility. This is exactly why I proposed three years ago that a mixed commission be formed that would consist of three journalists, representatives of the police and BIA in order to understand the problem, collect all documents related to the previous probes and make an analysis of what had been done, define problems, mistakes and give recommendations what to do next in order to find the killers, discover who had given orders and to put them all on trial. (Former) President Tadic thought that it was a good idea but the authorities have never made a step to form the commission,” he said. “Several months later I once again proposed that the commission be formed because the issue of impunity of killers of journalists was raised additionally on a global level in the UN with recommendations to countries to tackle the impunity and discover killers of journalists because trends were getting worse. He noted that First Deputy PM Aleksandar Vucic was the first to understand the problem and support the forming of the commission. Matic told Danas that the first meeting of the commission members would be held on Monday, adding that they would determine how they would do their work, present the commission’s mandate and hand our the first tasks. “The first task of the commission will be to make an analysis of the current situation in the investigations and to determine a place to collect all documentation on the investigations into the murders of journalists in Serbia. We will systematize the documents and make a credible analysis as to what has been happening in the investigations so far. The analysis should help pave the future work of the investigative organs in order to discover the killers and those who gave orders,” the B92 editor in chief stressed. He added that the commission would pick up where the investigations had left off- “This is a great challenge both for the police and journalistic honor. We all want to succeed in this because, aside for the respect of the victims and their families, it will also mean the return of the trust in the institutions that are involved in this. We will assess the needs for the necessary capacities, support of expert institutions in the country and the world and we will try to hire the best to do the work with us when necessary,” Matic noted. He added that a request of families of RTS workers who died in the NATO bombing in 1999 to expand the commission’s work to this case was completely acceptable. Matic told Politika that the commission would use capacities that are at the disposal of the Serbian government and stressed that its members would not receive any fee for their work. “The commission is not a body that has an ambition to complete the work on these cases, I think it is simply impossible, but a body that should help get a court epilogue and the Prosecution will be informed about all actions and findings of the commission that are relevant for the Prosecution’s role,” he said. Matic pointed out that there was a lack of political will to solve the murders of journalists in the last ten years. “It is possible there were other priorities and often there is not enough understanding how important it is to eliminate impunity in cases of murders of freedom activists, media representatives and so on. This is not an ordinary murder, it is a powerful message that represents a threat to the entire society,” the B92 editor in chief stressed. He added that it was important that Smajlovic, Curuvija’s close associate, Malisic, a close friend and colleague of Vujasinovic and Jovanovic, a friend and coworker of Pantic, were a part of the commission. “I think that they all have this additional motive of personal friendship to achieve positive results. I believe we should engage all capacities because this is a fight for the dignity of our profession and also for police professionals who did not have the necessary conditions to work on the case,” Matic was quoted as saying. Veran Matic (file) B92

Commission to defend honor of profession, B92’s Matić says

Journalists Branislav Jovanović, Ljiljana Smajlović and Vesna Mališić, Police Director Milorad Veljović, Serbian police (MUP) representatives Rodoljub Milović and Slaviša Softić and Security-Information Agency (BIA) representatives Željko Rašeta, Ivica Petrović and Nebojša Vujičić are also members of the commission.

Matić told dailies Blic, Politika and Danas how he had initiated the forming of the commission.

“We attend commemorations for our murdered colleagues and call on the authorities to solve the murders. Every new government promises it will do it, that it is one of the priorities but we have no seen any results so far. Institutions of the system are of course the most responsible for that but our profession holds some kind of responsibility. This is exactly why I proposed three years ago that a mixed commission be formed that would consist of three journalists, representatives of the police and BIA in order to understand the problem, collect all documents related to the previous probes and make an analysis of what had been done, define problems, mistakes and give recommendations what to do next in order to find the killers, discover who had given orders and to put them all on trial. (Former) President Tadić thought that it was a good idea but the authorities have never made a step to form the commission,” he said.

“Several months later I once again proposed that the commission be formed because the issue of impunity of killers of journalists was raised additionally on a global level in the UN with recommendations to countries to tackle the impunity and discover killers of journalists because trends were getting worse.

He noted that First Deputy PM Aleksandar Vučić was the first to understand the problem and support the forming of the commission.

Matić told Danas that the first meeting of the commission members would be held on Monday, adding that they would determine how they would do their work, present the commission’s mandate and hand our the first tasks.

“The first task of the commission will be to make an analysis of the current situation in the investigations and to determine a place to collect all documentation on the investigations into the murders of journalists in Serbia. We will systematize the documents and make a credible analysis as to what has been happening in the investigations so far. The analysis should help pave the future work of the investigative organs in order to discover the killers and those who gave orders,” the B92 editor in chief stressed.

He added that the commission would pick up where the investigations had left off-

“This is a great challenge both for the police and journalistic honor. We all want to succeed in this because, aside for the respect of the victims and their families, it will also mean the return of the trust in the institutions that are involved in this. We will assess the needs for the necessary capacities, support of expert institutions in the country and the world and we will try to hire the best to do the work with us when necessary,” Matić noted.

He added that a request of families of RTS workers who died in the NATO bombing in 1999 to expand the commission’s work to this case was completely acceptable.

Matić told Politika that the commission would use capacities that are at the disposal of the Serbian government and stressed that its members would not receive any fee for their work.

“The commission is not a body that has an ambition to complete the work on these cases, I think it is simply impossible, but a body that should help get a court epilogue and the Prosecution will be informed about all actions and findings of the commission that are relevant for the Prosecution’s role,” he said.

Matić pointed out that there was a lack of political will to solve the murders of journalists in the last ten years.

“It is possible there were other priorities and often there is not enough understanding how important it is to eliminate impunity in cases of murders of freedom activists, media representatives and so on. This is not an ordinary murder, it is a powerful message that represents a threat to the entire society,” the B92 editor in chief stressed.

He added that it was important that Smajlović, Ćuruvija’s close associate, Mališić, a close friend and colleague of Vujasinović and Jovanović, a friend and coworker of Pantić, were a part of the commission.

“I think that they all have this additional motive of personal friendship to achieve positive results. I believe we should engage all capacities because this is a fight for the dignity of our profession and also for police professionals who did not have the necessary conditions to work on the case,” Matić was quoted as saying.