Belgrade High Court Judge Bojana \u010coguri\u0107 found KRIK guilty for violating Predrag Koluvija\u2019s right to the presumption of innocence in an article that announced the start of the trial, \u201dJovanjica 2\u201d, in which he is the first accused. KRIK has appealed this first-instance verdict and expects the appellate court to reverse the decision or dismiss the charges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Author: Bojana Jovanovi\u0107<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Predrag Koluvija, who is on trial on suspicion of heading an organized crime group that produced more than 1.5 tons of marijuana, has filed two lawsuits against the Crime and Corruption Investigation Network (KRIK) in 2021, claiming its reporting on the trial has damaged his reputation and caused him emotional distress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the lawsuits, Koluvija claimed KRIK violated his presumption of innocence by describing him as an \u201caccused narco boss\u201d. Since the publication of the articles, the businessman says his neighbors have started to actively avoid him, even refusing to be in the same elevator. He also claims that bank employees won\u2019t answer his calls or open accounts for him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He appeared in the courtroom accompanied by his attorney Vladimir \u0110ukanovi\u0107, a prominent member of the Serbian Progressive Party (Srpska napredna stranka), who is also the president of the Judiciary Parliamentary Committee, a body that has a role in the selection of judges and prosecutors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KRIK\u2019s editor Stevan Doj\u010dinovi\u0107 explained in court that journalists cannot use long, incomprehensible legal formulations in their articles, but rather colloquial terms that clearly explain the meaning to the readers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf we had used only legal terms when we mentioned Koluvija, we would have had to write that he is accused as the organizer of an organized crime group whose goal was to commit the criminal offense of unlawful production and circulation of narcotics,\u201d Doj\u010dinovi\u0107 explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KRIK\u2019s editor stated that he thought the texts appropriately described Koluvija in accordance with the practices of notable international news outlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe world\u2019s largest media, outlets like The Washington Post, The Guardian, Reuters, report in the same way in similar situations, i.e. they use the term \u2018accused narco boss\u2019 in English when reporting on the main defendants in major trials on organized crime\u201d, Doj\u010dinovi\u0107 explained and provided the court with examples of articles published by these media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doj\u010dinovi\u0107 also pointed out that it would be hard to imagine Koluvija was offended solely by KRIK\u2019s articles, because other media, as well as state representatives, wrote about him in a more offensive manner. However, Koluvija did not sue them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt the press conference, Minister (Neboj\u0161a) Stefanovi\u0107 marked the plaintiff (Koluvija) as a drug manufacturer, Prime Minister (Ana) Brnabi\u0107 referred to him as a drug trafficker. President (Aleksandar) Vu\u010di\u0107 stated that the plaintiff didn\u2019t kill anyone, but that he did have a ton and a half of marijuana,\u201d Doj\u010dinovi\u0107 said at the trial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Journalist associations emphasized earlier that KRIK did not violate the presumption of innocence, and pointed out that Koluvija\u2019s claims were intended to pressure the journalists to stop writing about the Jovanjica case, one of the biggest and most important cases in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Judge Bojana \u010coguri\u0107, who was the judge in one of these two proceedings, decided otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Court took a stand that the plaintiff was labeled as a \u2018narco boss\u2019, therefore guilty, before the end of the criminal proceedings, which can equally end with both his conviction and his acquittal\u201d, \u010coguri\u0107 wrote in the verdict from the beginning of August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u010coguri\u0107 ruled that the editorial office and Doj\u010dinovi\u0107 must pay Koluvija 89,800 dinars for emotional distress and to compensate the attorney\u2019s fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a first-instance verdict and KRIK has appealed it. The Court of Appeal in Belgrade will decide on the case next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trial involving Koluvija’s second claim is ongoing and a verdict has not yet been reached. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the third ruling in which KRIK was found guilty for articles it published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The newsroom was previously convicted in SLAPP lawsuits filed by Minister of Police Bratislav Ga\u0161i\u0107 and the heads of the Police Witness Protection Unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are currently eight other proceedings against KRIK and its journalists. In addition to the aforementioned, the editorial office was also sued by former MIA State Secretary Dijana Hrkalovi\u0107, controversial businessman Bogoljub Kari\u0107, businessman with criminal connections Stanko Suboti\u0107, the best man of President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 Nikola Petrovi\u0107, Mineco Company, and others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Belgrade High Court Judge Bojana \u010coguri\u0107 found KRIK guilty for violating Predrag Koluvija\u2019s right to the presumption of innocence in an article that announced the start of the trial, \u201dJovanjica 2\u201d, in which he is the first accused. KRIK has appealed this first-instance verdict and expects the appellate court to [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38953,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n