Commission opposed to presence of journalists

Commission opposed to presence of journalists

"It is well known that the Commission for Investigating Murders of Journalists, in addition to members of the Ministry of the Interior and the BIA, consists of three journalists, and one of them is also the president of the commission. All three journalists and other members of the commission signed a declaration committing themselves to protecting all data and information that represents state, official, military or trade secret, which they arrived to in the conduct of the commission's competences. All members during the previous work of the commission complied with that obligation. In that way the participation of journalists in the work of the commission was enabled, and at the same time the goal for which the commission was established was protected, "said a statement signed by the president of the commission Veran Matić.

The statement added that contrary to that, the joint proposal saw the journalistic profession as a weapon with which to influence the future course of the proceedings, which was deeply offensive to journalism, and to all participants in the process.

"The commission points out that the media should not be treated as a weapon in anyone's hands, the hands of the prosecution or the defense. The main objective is that investigations and trials are not conducted in the media, but in prosecutions and courts, while the public should be informed about all relevant data in a professional and timely manner. For these reasons, and for the purpose of efficient management of proceedings, the commission indicates that these abuses against the media must be fought the way that will prevent 'leakage' of information, and in no way by legalizing that 'leakage' and creating space for exerting illegal influence on the course of the proceedings by the media that could be a weapon in anyone's hands," the statement said.