Official of the Bosniak Party in Rožaje and municipal secretary for urban planning Ešef Husić hurt the reputation and honor of "Vijesti" journalist Aida Skorupan.
That was decided by the judge of the Basic Court in Rožaje, Slavica Bulatović, in the dispute initiated by Skorupan against Husić.
The BS official is obliged to pay the journalist 2,5 thousand euros for the mental pain she suffered, as well as to pay the court costs in the amount of 220 euros.
Skorupan sued Husić because she stated at the session of the Rožaje local parliament, which was also broadcast by Radio Rožaje, that the "Vijesti" journalist received an apartment from "the inner circle of the DPS leadership as an 'appropriation', which is why she is writing in their interest". , and that she allegedly "tainted the honorable journalistic profession" with that.
Skorupan sued for compensation of 30 euros.
However, Judge Bulatović wrote in the explanation of the verdict that the awarded amount is adequate to the intensity and duration of mental pain, which the plaintiff suffered.
She also assessed that awarding a larger amount would lead to the commercialization of damages.
In the judgment, it is written that the psychiatric expert Dr. Rajko Raičević, based on the medical documentation, established that Skoprupan suffered mental pain of great intensity for fifteen days due to defamation.
"After fifteen days, the intensity began to decrease, so for the next thirty days she suffered pain of medium intensity. The journalist continues to suffer pains of lesser intensity, because she is still being treated," explained Raičević.
During the trial, the journalist's representative, lawyer Nikola Čukić, asked for an expert to assess whether Skorupan could have suffered severe pain again during her statement.
Expert Raičević answered in the affirmative, adding that she will continue to feel intense pain in similar situations.
Judge Bulatović wrote in the explanation of the verdict that the journalist, in the text that made Husić react during the session of the parliament, expressed a value judgment, the truth of which cannot be proven.
"Because in that case, freedom of thought would be threatened as a fundamental right protected by the Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms".
The judge also said that Skorupan dealt with the topic of building a religious building in the text before issuing the urban planning and technical conditions, and that this topic is related to the annual report on the condition and arrangement of the area for 2014, which was discussed at the session of the local parliament.
"The nature of the job and function performed by the defendant in the Secretariat for Urban Planning allows for a critical way of thinking and evaluating his work, and the essence of the text itself was not intended to accuse the defendant, but to contribute to the public debate on issues of public interest in society," it says in judge Bulatović ruled.
Skorupan previously stated that the lawsuit is in mutual interest, and that with it she wants to offer Husić to confirm his accusations "instead of trying to destroy her credibility and honor with slander and insults and creating an atmosphere of branding her and persecution from the environment".
She also said that she will leave both the journalist's office and Rožaje, if Husić proves in court that someone bought her an apartment.
Both parties have the right to appeal the first-instance verdict to the High Court in Bijelo Polje.
He didn't have time to send a denial
During the court proceedings, it was pointed out that there had never been any conflicts between Skorupan and Husić before.
The BS official said that he was dissatisfied with her text about the illegal construction of a mosque in that city, on a site planned for a green area.
He added that this is why he reacted at the session of the Municipal Assembly.
Husić said that before making such a statement, he did not ask for a correction or denial in "Vijesti", because "he was preoccupied with writing a comprehensive annual report".
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