On 2 October 2024 the Basic Court in Šabac, Serbia, sentenced one individual to two years in prison for posting wanted-style posters featuring the editor-in-chief of newspaper Podrinske (https://podrinske.com/) Isidora Kovačević, one lawyer and one during the incident time still minor. He was found guilty of endangering their safety, receiving 10 months for each adult and 5 months for the minor, culminating in a combined two-year sentence. Additionally, he is prohibited from approaching or communicating with the victims for a year after serving his sentence.
The case has been ongoing for three years, including over a year of trial. While the verdict offers some relief, it highlights systemic issues within the justice system, especially delays and obstructions tied to those connected to the political elite. The posters, which surfaced after a violent protest in Šabac in 2021, accused Kovačević of being a “media sponsor of thugs” and targeted the others similarly.
Despite the sentencing, questions remain about the full extent of those involved, as this individual is believed not to have acted alone. The police have yet to uncover who printed and coordinated the poster distribution. Kovačević hopes the verdict is just the beginning and that further investigations will identify all those responsible, sending a clear message that threats to journalists’ safety will not be tolerated.
The person who had admitted to the actions claimed he was coerced by unnamed individuals, and is already serving a separate five-year sentence. Despite his claims of being under the influence of alcohol during the incident, the court found him criminally responsible. The case remains open to appeal.
You can read previous SEEMO article about this case here: https://seemo.org/ressources/22-12-2023-ongoing-threats-against-journalist-isidora-kovacevic-in-sabac-serbia/
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) will closely monitor the case and urges authorities to continue their pursuit of those responsible, sending a clear message that threats to media workers will not go unpunished.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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