On the Website of the World Economic Forum (WEF) is introduced to Aleksandar Vucic of his advisers with chosen words. The Serbian head of state, like reading books about history and geopolitics, he is interested in the world of literature, and he was playing chess, football and Basketball. This all sounds fascinating. Be counted also Vucics political functions by the Secretary-General of the Radical party in the 90s, to the state President (since 2017).

for An hour about journalism, The WEF Panel on media freedom debate:.

the WEF leaders have taken Maybe this biography Vucics for face value, as they asked him to lecture at a Panel in Davos on the importance of the freedom of the media. Vucic came, rattled relentlessly economic data, which should show how successful he will rule Serbia, and by the way, the President admitted he was proud with the location of the media in his country. The wars.

invitation makes for ridicule in Belgrade

In Belgrade, the last independent journalists have only scorn and ridicule left for the gig Vucics. It is surprising that an autocrat in Davos gets a big stage to talk together with journalists of the “Washington Post” and Reuters, as well as with human rights activists on the freedom of the press. For weeks, thousands of Serbs on the streets, because the public television RTS showered the head of state and his government, with hymns of praise, the Opposition traitors, however, as a gang of father country of liars and thieves defamed. Vucic is described by political rivals as a senior censor, which is just a little exaggerated.

in addition to the RTS of the private TV channels Pink TV operates around the clock, a reliable the court’s report for reimbursement. Media hell Vucics also several combat blades, each critic will try with wrong information, Horror headlines and image montages, to destroy. In 2018, two in Belgrade tabloids 265 have announced changes on the front page of the “wars” against neighboring peoples.

Assault remain unclear

The media hounding poisoned the relations between the Balkan States, it is mainly domestic political consequences in Serbia. At the end of November, a left-wing politician was beaten up brutally. Of the offenders, each track is missing, the first three Suspects were released before Christmas. A year ago, Unknown persons shot and killed the politician, Oliver Ivanovic in front of his office in the Serbian-controlled North of Kosovo. The assassins have not been caught, Vucic takes a mafia godfather regularly, to have given up the murder in order. Recently, the house of a local journalist was on the edge of the city of Belgrade in flames, had denounced the machinations of local rulers.

There is no evidence that Vucic is personally behind these crimes. But his verbal attacks have created in Serbia, a climate of fear and hostility. The Serbian Association of journalists registered in the last three years, 81 cases of attacks, hostility and immense pressure on the media. The main responsible for this Situation Vucic, the Association of journalists announced on Tuesday. For this reason, the head of state has no moral right to grant, to the international Meeting lessons on freedom of the media.

“In no other Balkan country has worsened the situation of the freedom of the press in 2017 as strong as in Serbia.”Reporters without borders

The American research Institute Freedom House criticised in a report by the decline of democracy in Serbia in the last four years. The country, according to Freedom House, a “semi-consolidated democracy” – is negotiating with the EU on accession. The organization reporters without borders wrote in their last Report, that has deteriorated in any other Balkan state of the situation of the freedom of the press in 2017 as strong as in Serbia. “The nature of the threats against the media is strongly reminiscent of the reign of Slobodan Milosevic in the 90s,” says the journalist Antonela Riha in the conversation.

Minister of information under Milosevic

Like most politicians in the Balkans also Vucic is not regarded as a friend of the freedom of the press. As a 22-Year-old, he traveled in 1992, from Belgrade, his home city, in the Serb stronghold of Pale, above the besieged Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, to work in the propaganda radio channel. The Journalist and aspiring lawyer at the time was a propagandist in the service of the now-convicted war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. From 1998 to 2000, Vucic served the dictator Slobodan Milosevic, as Minister of information. At that time, several critical media were driven with high fines in the Ruin. 11. April 1999 shot and killed, apparently, employees of the intelligence service of the journalist Slavko Curuvija. He was a declared opponent of the regime. The alleged perpetrators, including a former intelligence service chief, for the past three years in court. The competent Prosecutor is convinced that the murderer may have acted on behalf of the state.

At the panel discussion in Davos, Vucic has not been confronted with the dark chapters of its past. While the other participants talked about the murder of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, has not felt Vucic, obviously, quite well. He thanked me for the invitation, the “I don’t deserve for a number of reasons”.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 23.01.2019, 12:36 PM