A Belgrade Court of Appeals judge, Dušanka Đorđević, has filed a new, third lawsuit against KRIK journalists over our “Judge who Judges” database, which investigates the work of the judiciary. She has submitted a criminal claim seeking 10 months prison sentences and a two‑year ban on journalistic activity against KRIK editor Bojana Jovanović and Jelena Radivojević for alleged violation of privacy. She previously filed two lawsuits – one criminal and one civil – which the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) identified as classic SLAPP lawsuits, filed without merit and intended to pressure journalists into stopping their reporting on certain topics.
A new private criminal lawsuit from Judge Dušanka Đorđević of the Belgrade Court of Appeals and her husband, attorney Aleksandar Đorđević, has recently arrived at KRIK’s newsroom.
Unlike the previous two cases, which are currently being heard in court against KRIK editor Stevan Dojčinović and journalist Bojana Pavlović, this new lawsuit targets editor Bojana Jovanović and journalist Jelena Radivojević. The Đorđevićs are seeking 10 months in prison and a two-year professional ban on practicing journalism for both.
The judge and her husband filed the new lawsuit because, as they claim, they only learned during the ongoing proceedings against KRIK that Jovanović and Radivojević were also involved in creating the “Judge who Judges” database.
However, this explanation does not hold up since it was Radivojević who had sent Judge Đorđević a request for an interview and specific questions during the investigation for the database.
“Judge Đorđević knew as early as January last year, when we published her profile, that Jelena was researching her, whereas Bojana was also clearly listed as the database editor” said KRIK editor Stevan Dojčinović. “So these are just excuses, the real reason she filed a third lawsuit is likely to increase pressure on our newsroom. It is completely inappropriate for a judge to behave this way — to manipulate the judiciary and harass journalists.”
All three lawsuits filed by Judge Đorđević and her husband concern her profile in the “Judge who Judges” database, launched by KRIK in late 2020 to improve transparency in the judiciary. The profile includes information about the cases she adjudicated and property owned by her and her husband. No published information could in any way endanger their safety.
However, in her lawsuits, the judge claims that journalists violated her privacy by publishing her name, her position at the Belgrade Court of Appeals, and details about the real estate she and her husband own. She even alleges that by publishing such information, KRIK called for a public lynching, put targets on her and her, and implied that their assets stem from corruption or criminal activity by merely being listed in the database.
CASE Labeled the Judge’s Lawsuits as SLAPPs Aimed at Pressuring Journalists
The two previous lawsuits—one civil and one criminal—through which the Đorđevićs are seeking financial compensation, prison sentences and bans on journalism, have been identified by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) as classic examples of SLAPPs—lawsuits filed without merit and aimed at pressuring journalists to stop reporting on certain topics.
“The case risks creating a massive chilling effect on journalists and other public watchdogs if the lawsuits are not dismissed… The judge is aiming for a complete shutdown of the database, which would hinder transparency and risk censorship. Moreover, journalists should not fear imprisonment or professional bans as reprisals for their work in providing society with accurate information on the Serbian judiciary,” stated the CASE coalition.
“What is particularly concerning is that these lawsuits are initiated by a judge – a figure sworn to uphold the rule of law, not to use the legal system for personal needs. This case highlights an urgent need for clear, robust guidelines for members of the judiciary and lawyers on how to identify SLAPPs and avoid facilitating them, as such actions contradict the fundamental principles of their profession.”
The lawsuits filed by Judge Đorđević and her husband are among several legal actions brought against KRIK journalists in recent years. Others who have sued KRIK include Predrag Koluvija, defendant in the “Jovanjica” case; Nikola Petrović, best man of the President of Serbia; former State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dijana Hrkalović; the company “Starting,” a main subcontractor in the works done on the Novi Sad railway station canopy that collapsed last November; and Jelena Tanasković, one of the suspects in that same case at Novi Sad railway station, among many others.
