31. 10. 2004

JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION DEMANDS PROTECTION

VALJEVO, BELGRADE, October 31, 2004 (Beta) - The Association of Serbian Journalists is demanding an investigation into phone threats from Aleksa Zekanovic to a member of the association, Slobodan Rakovic. The association claims that Rakovic, a journalist for Pregled, was reporting on the privatisation process of the Valjevo company Kozara, whose majority owner is reportedly Aleksa Zekanovic. The association is demanding that Rakovic be put under protections, saying that Zekanovic's threats infringe the right to free media. In a recorded telephone conversation that has been broadcast in prime time on both Radio Valjevo and Radio Patak, Zekanovic threatens Rakovic with death if he walks as much as a metre onto his property. Using insulting and coarse language, he also warned Rakovic that his property was no longer "the dowry of the state" and that no one could write about it as they pleased. Rakovic says he assumes that the reason for Zekanovic's threats were articles he wrote on the privatisation process of Kozara, in which he alleged that 23 employees of the company had not receive the benefits of a social security program. The funds for that purpose were transferred to the company's account by the Serbian Government in July this year.