VOICE sued for publishing story on public procurement in Serbia

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Vojvodina's Investigative-Analytical Centre VOICE said on Monday it received two lawsuits for the same story about the public social procurement, describing it as Serbia's authorities new mechanism for pressuring independent media.

Two people demand 8,500 Euro each from five reporters, an editor and a VOICE publisher.

The Center said its journalists dealt with public interest following the Journalists’ Code and respective laws and checking every piece of information they published.

The lawsuits were filed by Aleksandra Jovicic, the owner of the Nivenus Agency and Milan Tadic, the Agency’s representative for public procurement, who VOICE said was close to the ruling party.

Fines worth millions of Dinars sought by claimants are the newest way of pressuring the independent media in Serbia, VOICE says and adds that the cost of only two court taxes for responses to the lawsuits against seven people endangers the existence of the Centre.

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Earlier, Millenium Team filed lawsuits against local Jug Press and Inforvranjske from Serbia’s southern towns of Leskovac and Vranje, and the independent Danas daily, nova.rs website and N1 and Newsmax Adria cable TV channels.