Lawyer acquitted of threatening journalist

NEWS 21.03.202313:58
Svetislav Bojić, Djukanović
N1

A lawyer accused of threatening journalist Jelena Zoric was acquitted by a Belgrade court.

Lawyer Svetislav Bojic was part of the defense team in the trial of a man indicted for drug production in the Jovanjica case which drew major public attention because of the alleged involvement of state officials. He made threats against Zoric who was covering the trial for N1 TV at the time.

Bojic was acquitted just three days after the Belgrade Bar Association ruled that he would not be held accountable for the threats. Prosecutors asked for eight months in jail or a three year suspended sentence.

BIRN reported Judge Dragana Brankovic as saying that Bojic’s words were not a direct threat but that he did violate the professional code of ethics.

Zoric’s lawyer Dragoljub Djordjevic alleged that pressure had been brought to bear during the trial. Zoric said that the outcome was what she expected. “This seems to be institutional approval to attack independent journalists and throttle media freedom,” she said.