Serbia: Court Rules Against Investigative Outlet KRIK in 12th SLAPP Case - CFWIJ Outraged By Serbia's Systematic Suppression Of Free Media
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Date: May 23, 2023
Legal harassment of investigative outlet KRIK continues to escalate. Newsrom loses libel case, reporters Dragana Pećo and Bojana Jovanović face new lawsuit from litigious businessman Nikola Petrović. This is the 12th SLAPP case targeting KRIK. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns abuse of law by the rich and powerful to silence free media. We demand the Serbian government reform libel laws now.
On May 18, the court ruled against KRIK in a libel case brought against them by police commander Goran Zivkovic and two of his colleagues from the Witness Protection Unit. The plaintiffs sued the publication for revealing their names in an article on the insurmountable number of SLAPP lawsuits the newsroom faces. KRIK was ordered to pay reparations but plans to appeal the ruling.
“The ruling makes it clear that SLAPP lawsuits have become the regime’s main tool to shut down the few remaining independent media outlets,” says KRIK’s editor-in-chief Stevan Dojčinović.
“SLAPP lawsuits have become the regime’s main tool to shut down the few remaining independent media outlets”
The SLAPP case against KRIK is one of 12 the newsroom has been slapped with. The most recent filing is against its reporters Dragana Pećo and Bojana Jovanović. Businessman Nikola Petrović is suing the reporters for libel, demanding the retraction of an article and seeking compensation in the amount of 200,000 Serbian dinars (US$1,863) for "mental suffering."
Petrović sued the journalists previously for exposing business entanglements between him and Stanko Subotic, a businessman twice indicted for cigarette smuggling and known for his links to an alleged drug lord. Petrović demanded a two-month sentence for Pećo, a first for SLAPP cases in Serbia.
“This is a new trend in Serbia, and it has drastically increased in the last few years,” award-winning investigative journalist Dragana Pećo tells CFWIJ. To illustrate, Pećo explains how a former minister sued her and the newsroom four times for the same story.
“This is a new trend in Serbia, and it has drastically increased in the last few years”
KRIK has exposed corruption and misconduct by people close to or part of President Alexander Vučić's government, including several MP's, Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs, Bratislav Gašić, Goran Živković, two associates from the police Witness Protection Unit and wealthy businessman Nikola Petrović. In return, several have relentlessly sued the outlet.
The outlet’s work is now in jeopardy. “Things have gone so far that we are no longer even allowed to complain in public about the fact that our editorial office is flooded with lawsuits – they condemn us even for that,” says Dojčinović.
“Things have gone so far that we are no longer even allowed to complain in public about the fact that our editorial office is flooded with lawsuits – they condemn us even for that”
Dragana Pećo won the "Dušan Bogavac" journalism award for ethics and courage. She was awarded for her many years of courageous and ethical engagement in journalistic research.
"Despite threats, eavesdropping, jeopardizing personal safety by raiding her apartment, Dragana Pećo again proved all the virtues of investigative journalism this year with a series of texts about the secret accounts of high-ranking officials of the Republic of Serbia," says the award’s jury.
In 2018, Pećo and KRIK's editor Dojcinovic won the EU Award for the best investigative story in Serbia. The investigative story “How Serbia’s Health Minister Helped a Criminal Avoid Trial” meticulously demonstrated strong connections between Minister Zlatibor Loncar and the notorious criminal Zemun clan.
Bojana Jovanović is an investigative reporter and deputy editor of KRIK. Jovanović contributes as an investigative reporter for OCCRP. She won the Data Journalism Award in 2017 and has received two consecutive National awards for investigative journalism in 2011 and 2012, as well as an EU Investigative Journalism Award in 2022.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism vehemently condemns Serbia for encouraging SLAPP cases against KRIK and its journalists. The culture of corruption has become systemic in the country, and so has the ability to drag independent media to court. The incessant SLAPP cases aim to silence the newsroom, exhaust its financial resources and impede its reporting by keeping journalists tangled in time-consuming lawsuits. KRIK's investigative journalism exposing a series of fraudulent endeavors and organized crime scandals has ruffled the feathers of those who have the most to gain by KRIK's demise. We demand the Serbian government examines its libel laws, including introducing early dismissal of cases, cost-shifting measures to compensate SLAPP victims and dissuade claimants.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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