Serbian opposition leader refuses questions from pro-government media

Djilas, leader of Alliance of Serbia (SzS) member the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) said the reporters from TV Pink and the Informer tabloid “are not journalists but members of President Aleksandar Vucic’s propaganda organ”. He refused to answer questions about the burning of a book authored by deputy Mayor Goran Vesic. A video of a copy of the book being set on fire appeared following a protest at the book promotion. The video showed only the hands of the people burning the book.  

Djilas held up copies of Informer with headlines about him, asking when the tabloid (which is viewed as loyal to Vucic and the authorities) would pay the compensation that a court awarded him and when it would publish the court ruling.  

He added that TV Pink “is a tabloid in electronic form”. “This country will be free when your station no longer has a national frequency,” Djilas told a TV Pink reporter.  

The SzS news conference was called over the government plans to build a waste incineration facility at the Vinca landfill outside Belgrade. The European Commission said the plan runs counter to European Union environmental standards and the European Investment Bank refused to fund it. The Vinca landfill has been burning for several days which has helped raise air pollution levels in the Belgrade area to alarming levels.