Ilić's party continues with attacks on B92

New Serbia continued its anti-B92 campaign in parliament Monday, linking a radio program with the loss of Kosovo. In the parliament building, party officials handed out leaflets pouring scorn on B92, depicting an hourglass (the English translation of Pescanik, the controversial radio show) at the top of which is Serbia, with Kosovo seeping down at the bottom. Ilic's party continues with attacks on B92 This is how the program, and B92 as a whole, has been tied in with the Kosovo status crisis. New Serbia MP Slobodanka Mladenovic was handing leaflets out carrying the messages, “Just let it drip... Pescanik - B92" and “Pescanik for beginners“, as part of a protest campaign against “the new anti-Serb, anti-Constitutional campaign of the new TV Bastille – B92.“ On the front page there is a picture of an hourglass, on which is a map of Serbia in the form of sand seeping out of the south of Serbia, New Serbia’s website and the message, “B92 has been diagnosed as suffering from the seriously contagious disease known as Sequelae leprae, the consequences of leprosy!" On the back is the sub-heading “Little School of Tolerance“ and “Little Dictionary of Tolerance“, under which are quotes referring to Kosovo and the Orthodox Church by journalists Petar Lukovic, Teofil Pancic, authors Marko Vidojkovic and Biljana Srbljanovic, religious sociologist Mirko Djordjevic, Liberal Democratic Party official Nenad Prokic and one of Pescanik’s producer Svetlana Lukic. Parliamentary Speaker Oliver Dulic said that he could not prohibit the distribution of leaflets, though he could condemn the distribution of any offensive material. Dulic told journalists at the parliament that it was clear an open debate was under way on freedom of speech and on “what is an acceptable opinion, what can be an opinion even if one doesn’t agree with it, and what goes beyond the realms of decency.“ The speaker said that there had been disagreement over and reaction to the program, and reflected on the future treatment of “Pescanik’s producers and the program’s participants“ who have opinions “different to our own.“ He said that he supported everyone having the right to freely express their opinion, and that no-one had the right to prohibit public speech in Serbia. New Serbia’s youth movement yesterday organized a campaign entitled “Pescanik for Beginners“, a protest against, as they claimed, “the anti-Serb and anti-Constitutional campaign of the new TV Bastille – B92.“ Activists, led by party deputy leader and Topola Mayor Dragan Jovanovic, recently broke up a Pescanik promotion in Arandjelovac. But many believe that Infrastructure Minister Velimir Ilic's party, New Serbia, is launching its attacks on B92 over matters unrelated to politics or Kosovo, namely, our consistent reporting about malversations related to Ilic. He recently sent out a message to B92 journalists "not to initiate things we don't need in these troubling times". "You are a problem, a big problem, and, we simply must solve this problem. If I show up with 50 people, you'll say that's not enough. So, we won't come with less than 100,000," the minister said. Now a look at some of the New Serbia issues that B92, marked by the minister as a big problem he will deal with, reported about in the past months and years. Infrastructure Minister Velimir Ilic – influenced the dropping of charges against Marko Milosevic, son of Slobodan Milosevic, in 2005 – illegally contractedof a health clinic in the village of Kaculice near Cacak, in association with unidentified investors; forced to drop the project – used state money to build a road to his family home in Kaculica – used state money to build a sports venue in his native village of Atenica – redirected RSD 5mn from the National Investment Plan (NIP) to reconstruct a church in Cacak – spent EUR 600,000 from NIP to reconstruct a single street in Loznica – bought a house in Cacak when he assumed the duties of minister, including building a luxury swimming pool, but evades B92 questions about his assets which grow each year – signed controversial Horgos – Pozega highway deal, and evaded providing the public with relevant information – threatened and accused journalists who investigated these stories, dubbing them "sheep sodomites" Railways-Transport Company director Milenko Sarancic – train engine acquisition affair, without a tender and from a Swedish boutique owner – bysmal state of the Serbian Railways, its trains and services – reconstruction of the train station building in Cacak without tender – setting aside EUR 75,000 for the reconstruction of a toilet at the Kraljevo train station, with unknown subcontractor Roads of Serbia Public Enterprise Director Branko Jocic – Road Mafia affair –the company's debt and overdue payments to subcontractors

Ilić's party continues with attacks on B92

This is how the program, and B92 as a whole, has been tied in with the Kosovo status crisis.

New Serbia MP Slobodanka Mladenović was handing leaflets out carrying the messages, “Just let it drip... Pešcanik - B92" and “Peščanik for beginners“, as part of a protest campaign against “the new anti-Serb, anti-Constitutional campaign of the new TV Bastille – B92.“

On the front page there is a picture of an hourglass, on which is a map of Serbia in the form of sand seeping out of the south of Serbia, New Serbia’s website and the message, “B92 has been diagnosed as suffering from the seriously contagious disease known as Sequelae leprae, the consequences of leprosy!"

On the back is the sub-heading “Little School of Tolerance“ and “Little Dictionary of Tolerance“, under which are quotes referring to Kosovo and the Orthodox Church by journalists Petar Luković, Teofil Pančić, authors Marko Vidojković and Biljana Srbljanović, religious sociologist Mirko Đorđević, Liberal Democratic Party official Nenad Prokić and one of Peščanik’s producer Svetlana Lukić.

Parliamentary Speaker Oliver Dulić said that he could not prohibit the distribution of leaflets, though he could condemn the distribution of any offensive material.

Dulić told journalists at the parliament that it was clear an open debate was under way on freedom of speech and on “what is an acceptable opinion, what can be an opinion even if one doesn’t agree with it, and what goes beyond the realms of decency.“

The speaker said that there had been disagreement over and reaction to the program, and reflected on the future treatment of “Peščanik’s producers and the program’s participants“ who have opinions “different to our own.“

He said that he supported everyone having the right to freely express their opinion, and that no-one had the right to prohibit public speech in Serbia.

New Serbia’s youth movement yesterday organized a campaign entitled “Peščanik for Beginners“, a protest against, as they claimed, “the anti-Serb and anti-Constitutional campaign of the new TV Bastille – B92.“

Activists, led by party deputy leader and Topola Mayor Dragan Jovanović, recently broke up a Peščanik promotion in Aranđelovac.

But many believe that Infrastructure Minister Velimir Ilić's party, New Serbia, is launching its attacks on B92 over matters unrelated to politics or Kosovo, namely, our consistent reporting about malversations related to Ilić.

He recently sent out a message to B92 journalists "not to initiate things we don't need in these troubling times".

"You are a problem, a big problem, and, we simply must solve this problem. If I show up with 50 people, you'll say that's not enough. So, we won't come with less than 100,000," the minister said.

Now a look at some of the New Serbia issues that B92, marked by the minister as a big problem he will deal with, reported about in the past months and years.

Infrastructure Minister Velimir Ilić

– influenced the dropping of charges against Marko Milošević, son of Slobodan Milošević, in 2005

– illegally contractedof a health clinic in the village of Kačulice near Čačak, in association with unidentified investors; forced to drop the project

– used state money to build a road to his family home in Kačulica

– used state money to build a sports venue in his native village of Atenica

– redirected RSD 5mn from the National Investment Plan (NIP) to reconstruct a church in Čačak

– spent EUR 600,000 from NIP to reconstruct a single street in Loznica

– bought a house in Čačak when he assumed the duties of minister, including building a luxury swimming pool, but evades B92 questions about his assets which grow each year

– signed controversial Horgoš – Požega highway deal, and evaded providing the public with relevant information

– threatened and accused journalists who investigated these stories, dubbing them "sheep sodomites"

Railways-Transport Company director Milenko Šarančić

– train engine acquisition affair, without a tender and from a Swedish boutique owner

– bysmal state of the Serbian Railways, its trains and services

– reconstruction of the train station building in Čačak without tender

– setting aside EUR 75,000 for the reconstruction of a toilet at the Kraljevo train station, with unknown subcontractor

Roads of Serbia Public Enterprise Director Branko Jocić

– Road Mafia affair

–the company's debt and overdue payments to subcontractors