Statement on the 6th anniversary of Slavko Ćuruvija’s Murder
Today, on the 6th anniversary of the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija, the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights would like to warn that the perpetrators of this heinous crime have not been identified yet, despite the ruling parties’ election campaign promises that the public would learn the truth about this assassination.Journalist Slavko Ćuruvija, the chief editor of the daily Dnevni telegraf and the weekly Evropljanin, had resisted Slobodan Milošević’s authoritarian regime, vociferously advocating freedom of opinion and press in Serbia. He, with his courage and commitment, played an important role in the opposition parties’ and civil resistance in the nineties and the democratic changes in 2000.
Ćuruvija’s murder was doubtlessly a political assassination. The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights demands of the competent state bodies to do their utmost to identify and punish those who ordered, organised and committed the murder. This crime may no longer go unpunished.
It is critical that all citizens learn of the character and organisation of the criminal regime and the role its secret services played in the large-scale violations of the human rights of the citizens of Serbia and neighbouring countries.
Discontinuity with war crimes, organised crime and rampant security services has not been achieved yet. Instead, certain media foment an atmosphere of public lynch in Serbia by promoting open anti-modern and anti-democratic views, while those who dare to speak of the crimes are stigmatised. There are no professional criteria: victims are presented as criminals and criminals go unpunished.
Impunity has become a standard the police, prosecutors and courts go by.
The Belgrade Centre of Human Rights believes that Serbia cannot attain for its citizens full respect of human rights or adopt European values as an ideal on its path to a modern democratic state unless it confronts the past and uncovers all crimes and criminals.
By this statement the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights joins in the actions of the movement Get it! (Kapiraj).
