OSCE Condemns Attacks On Journalist, Press Associations Demand Minister’s Resignation

Tamara Skrozza (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC/MO)

On July 31, the OSCE Mission to Serbia condemned the attacks and accusations certain media levied against FoNet journalist Tamara Skrozza and warned that spinning and assuming breed hatred, which, at worst, can result in physical violence.

“Differing views on the recent past should not be used as a pretext for inferences and allegations that misrepresent the views expressed and which could escalate into targeted violence. Headlines that misrepresent stated views are not in keeping with journalistic ethics,” the OSCE wrote on Instagram.

“Skrozza’s comment did not mention names, nor did she call for anyone’s murder. To draw unfounded conclusions of the utmost serious nature is both unethical and highly dangerous as it may encourage acts of violence that no one would like to see. We encourage the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists to convene to discuss this issue and to address possible security concerns,” the statement added.

The slew of recent accusations against Skrozza in regime-affiliated media occurred following an interview broadcast on N1 TV in early June. Speaking on the Da Sam Ja Neko show (eng. If I Were Somebody), Skrozza stated that the Oct. 5, 2000 overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic should have brought about a new Serbia, absent anyone who was previously part of the system. “Had that night gone differently, and had we woken in a changed Serbia, a Serbia without certain people, I think our present would be very different. Instead, we’re reliving the 90s,” Skrozza said.

On July 31, in response to the continued offensive on the journalist and lack of condemnation of the media targeting Skrozza, the Media Freedom Coalition called for the resignation of Information and Telecommunications Minister Dejan Ristic.

Ristic’s ministry had previously issued a press release claiming that Skrozza’s statement regarding the events and aftermath of Oct. 5, 2000 in Serbia represents “the latest example in a growing trend of hate speech and open calls for violence and even the murder of those who do not share one’s opinion.”

According to the Media Freedom Coalition, the Ministry’s take on Skrozza’s words is a “shameful” manipulation and “demonstrates a deep lack of understanding for preserving the concept of free speech and of effort to ensure the safety of the press, and opens the doors to further the persecution and endangering of journalist Tamara Skorzza.”

The Media Freedom Coalition comprises the Association of Media, the Association of Online Media, the Independent Society of Journalists of Vojvodina, the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, the Local Press business cooperative of local and independent media associations, the Slavko Curuvija Foundation and the Nezavisnost trade union for culture, art and media.