22. 05. 2004

Schwimmer concerned for Serbian media

STRASBOURG, May 22, 2004 - The secretary-general of the Council of Europe, Walter Schwimmer, said today that he is seriously concerned at the state of free media in Serbia. In his quarterly report to the Council, Schwimmer said that it was necessary for the Serbian authorities to consistently apply the policy of protection of minority rights. In the report on the level to which Serbia-Montenegro had met its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe, Schwimmer also said that Belgrade’s main obligation was to secure the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Broadcast Agency Council. This, he said, would ensure the proper distribution of frequency licences and the transformation of the state media into a public information service. Belgrade is also obliged to bring the draft Free Access to Public Information Act into conformity with the Council of Europe's standards and to take measures to bring those who attack journalists to justice. Positive steps had been taken, said Schwimmer, citing the adoption of amendments to election legislation. According to the report, Serbia still lacks a legal framework for the activities of the non-government sector. "After the forced entry of military police into the premises of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, there is particularly pronounced concern at the possibility of pressure being exerted on non-government organisations dealing with the protection of human rights," reads the report.