Matić: The acquittal of the accused for the murder of Ćuruvija is a big defeat for the society in Serbia

Veran Matić, the president of the Commission for Investigating Murders of Journalists, said that the clear message of the verdict was that those accused of murdering Slavko Ćuruvija were acquitted - those who threaten the safety of journalists and kill journalists can still count on the fact that there is almost no chance of being convicted .

The Court of Appeal in Belgrade announced today the verdict passed almost ten months ago, according to which Radomir Marković, Milan Radonjić, Miroslav Kurak and Ratko Romić were accused of murdering Ćuruvija and acquitted, it was announced on the court's website.

"Today is a very sad day when it comes to impunity for murders of journalists, in Serbia, Europe and the world. After almost 25 years since the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija, ten years since the trial began, two first-instance convictions for a total of 100 years in prison for the accused, acquittal verdict, which is final when it comes to the persons accused so far," Matić told "Vijesti".

He reminded that since April last year, "information has been spreading" that after the open session of the Appellate Council, an acquittal verdict was passed. It is inexplicable, he points out, that it takes nine months to write the verdict.

Matić said that he does not have answers to the numerous questions that can be asked when it comes to this final verdict, as well as that he hopes that the prosecution will send a request for the protection of legality in this case, but also indicates that the decision of the Supreme Court will not have implications for this judgment.

"This is a great defeat for the society in Serbia and for the political determination to punish violence against journalists. Despite the fact that this political will was demonstrated through the establishment of the Commission for Investigating Murders of Journalists, and effective investigative work and indictment, the enormous effort was erased by the decision judges who obviously did not understand their historical role. The messages of this verdict are clear: those who threaten the safety of journalists and kill journalists can still count on the fact that there is almost no chance of them being convicted," Matić said.

That message, he said, is especially dramatic today, "when we see the dramatic situation in which journalists in Serbia and around the world find themselves."

"We must not forget yesterday's decision of the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime, which rejected the proposal of the Commission for Investigating Murders of Journalists and the MUP working group to take over the case of the murder of journalist Milan Pantić. Only when we receive the verdict, there will be more opportunities to comment on this decision of the Appellate Council." concludes Matić.