Broadcasting council begins work

June 13, 2003

The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights believes that the decisions of Prof. Snježana Milivojević and Prof. Vladimir Vodinelić to resign from the Broadcasting Council are honourable moves by honourable people not reconciling with the attempt to link this important institution with the disrespect of law, thus depriving it of all moral authority at the very start of its work.The BCHR, one of the NGO nominators of the Council candidate, calls for an end to the degradation of the Broadcasting Council and urges the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to immediately review its decisions to appoint two members in contravention of the legally prescribed procedure and a member for whom it cannot be established whether he fulfils the appointment criteria. The BCHR stresses that the qualities of the disputed Council members, which could have been discussed had the law been abided by, are not the main issue at this moment. What is at stake is the gross violation of law in a very important area impacting on the development and survival of democracy in Serbia.