SEEMO requests wider protection for Serbian journalist

VIENNA Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO) has expressed concern over continuous threats against Serbian journalist Vladimir Mitric. Mitric is daily Vecernje novosti's correspondent from the western Serbian town of Loznica. SEEMO requests wider protection for Serbian journalist Mitric was threatened again in spite of having 24-hour police protection. The veteran journalist, who specializes in uncovering corruption in western Serbia and Republic of Srpska (RS), has been under police protection since October 2005, after being severely beaten by a former policemen. Six years after the incident, the aggressor was convicted by the Court of Appeals in Belgrade and sentenced to a year in prison. The Loznica Court sentenced the attacker to a month in jail. The latest threat against Mitric occurred on September 15, 2012. While sitting in a cafe in the village of Trsic, near Loznica, he was approached by an individual and warned that he should stop writing about certain political figures. He was insulted several times and allegedly told that he must be a bad man if he needed police protection. Mitric did not ask the policeman who was accompanying him to intervene and opted for leaving the premises. On the road to Loznica, Mitric and the accompanying policeman entered another cafe, when another policeman, previously in charge of protecting Mitric, made a call and asked where they were sitting. As soon as he learnt where the two men were having coffee, the policeman arrived accompanied by the attacker from the previous cafe and they both accused Mitric over what he had written. The policemen said that Mitric was responsible for his career problems. The cafe owner tried to calm the situation down and was hit by the individual who initially threatened the journalist. Threats against Mitric who has been working for Vecernje novosti since 1996 started ten years ago. Between 2003 and 2005, the reporter’s car was destroyed three times and the police did not find any perpetrators. In 2005, he was beaten with a baseball bat and suffered numerous fractures. Soon after the aggression, he was assigned police protection but only within the radius of approximately 50 kilometers of his hometown. In other words, if he travels to Belgrade, for work or medical treatment, he does not have any protection. In June 2011, as SEEMO reported, two civilians approached Mitric in Bijeljina in the RS and threatened to come to his hometown and kill him. In addition, Mitric claims to have received numerous verbal threats and letters but did not report them. Recently, SEEMO learnt, a senior police officer told Mitric that he was lucky to have police protection, considering the topics he wrote about. While SEEMO welcomes the decision to provide Mitric with police protection, it also believes that protection should cover the whole of Serbia, rather than only one county. “I request Serbia’s police authorities to extend police protection for Vladimir Mitric and include the territory of the entire country,” said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic. “While I would prefer that no journalist need protection, I do welcome the protection when the police believe that reporters’ lives are in danger. In fact, there are several journalists in Serbia in this situation but only Mitric is protected only in one county. I think that his protection should be extended and that Mitric should feel safe to live and work in his country,” he added. “I hope that police in Loznica investigate the latest threats against Mitric and bring the perpetrator to justice,” Vujovic concluded. SEEMO

SEEMO requests wider protection for Serbian journalist

Mitrić was threatened again in spite of having 24-hour police protection.

The veteran journalist, who specializes in uncovering corruption in western Serbia and

Republic of Srpska (RS), has been under police protection since October 2005, after being severely beaten by a former policemen. Six years after the incident, the aggressor was convicted by the Court of Appeals in Belgrade and sentenced to a year in prison.

The Loznica Court sentenced the attacker to a month in jail.

The latest threat against Mitrić occurred on September 15, 2012. While sitting in a cafe in the village of Tršić, near Loznica, he was approached by an individual and warned that he should stop writing about certain political figures. He was insulted several times and allegedly told that he must be a bad man if he needed police protection.

Mitrić did not ask the policeman who was accompanying him to intervene and opted for leaving the premises. On the road to Loznica, Mitrić and the accompanying policeman entered another cafe, when another policeman, previously in charge of protecting Mitrić, made a call and asked where they were sitting. As soon as he learnt where the two men were having coffee, the policeman arrived accompanied by the attacker from the previous cafe and they both accused Mitrić over what he had written. The policemen said that Mitrić was responsible for his career problems.

The cafe owner tried to calm the situation down and was hit by the individual who initially threatened the journalist.

Threats against Mitrić who has been working for Večernje novosti since 1996 started ten years ago. Between 2003 and 2005, the reporter’s car was destroyed three times and the police did not find any perpetrators. In 2005, he was beaten with a baseball bat and suffered numerous fractures. Soon after the aggression, he was assigned police protection but only within the radius of approximately 50 kilometers of his hometown. In other words, if he travels to Belgrade, for work or medical treatment, he does not have any protection.

In June 2011, as SEEMO reported, two civilians approached Mitrić in Bijeljina in the RS and threatened to come to his hometown and kill him. In addition, Mitrić claims to have received numerous verbal threats and letters but did not report them. Recently, SEEMO learnt, a senior police officer told Mitrić that he was lucky to have police protection, considering the topics he wrote about.

While SEEMO welcomes the decision to provide Mitrić with police protection, it also believes that protection should cover the whole of Serbia, rather than only one county.

“I request Serbia’s police authorities to extend police protection for Vladimir Mitrić and include the territory of the entire country,” said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujović.

“While I would prefer that no journalist need protection, I do welcome the protection when the police believe that reporters’ lives are in danger. In fact, there are several journalists in Serbia in this situation but only Mitrić is protected only in one county. I think that his protection should be extended and that Mitrić should feel safe to live and work in his country,” he added.

“I hope that police in Loznica investigate the latest threats against Mitrić and bring the perpetrator to justice,” Vujović concluded.