On Sunday 11 June 2023 it has been 22 years since the tragic and unsolved murder of journalist Milan Pantić in Serbia.
Journalist Milan Pantić, born 1954, from Jagodina, Serbia, was working as a correspondent for Večernje novosti daily in the Pomoravlje region in Serbia. He reported on criminal scandals and corruption. He was killed on 11 June 2001, at the entrance of his home in Branko Radičević Street in Jagodina. Despite the relentless efforts and evidence gathered by the Commission for Investigating the Killings of Journalists, and the long-standing appeals from the media community, the Prosecution for Organized Crime has yet to file charges for this crime.
His work brought to the forefront issues that others dared not tackle, including the controversial privatization of a local company and corruption in the police. Pantić was killed before the privatization of the local company was completed.
Crucial aspects of the investigation were overlooked initially. Potential witnesses were deliberately not questioned, Pantić’s mobile phone was left unexamined, and his articles in the months leading up to the murder were not analyzed for possible motives. The lack of cooperation from authorities has hindered progress, raising doubts about the commitment to solving the case.
After 22 years of Milan Pantić’s tragic death, the Serbian officials must finally solve the case. Serbia is a country with many unsolved cases of attacks on journalists and journalists who receive threats. Persons who killed journalists in Serbia or ordered the killing are still not punished.
The list of cases where the public is still waiting for results of investigations or closed court cases connected to threats, killing or attacks on journalists is long, like killing of Slavko Ćuruvije and Dada Vujasinović , physical attack on Željko Matorčević or bomb attack in front of the window of the apartment were journalist Dejan Anastasijević lived or the case of Vladimir Mitrić from Loznice, who lives now for 17 godina with a daily police protection. It is imperative to uncover the truth, hold the perpetrators accountable, and safeguard the freedom of the press.
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