Implementation of Transitional Laws in Serbia 2006

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Implementation of Transitional Laws in Serbia 2006which was in favor of adopting the Constitution 210 . Furthermore, during thevoting on Saturday and Sunday, announcers and journalists publicly calledthe population to vote for the Constitution (Radio Television of Serbia,RTV Pink, RTV Kosava, RTV Palma plus, RTV Most, RTV Super...) 211 .Such behavior is prohibited by the Law on Public Information 212 (Article2) and the Law on Broadcasting 213 (Article 68), and also empowered by theregulation on the obligation of public services to respect the principles ofimpartiality and objectivity in Article 79 of the Law on Broadcasting 214 .Adopting the Constitution was represented as an act of patriotism, andfrom that it can be concluded that the opposite option is treacherous andworks against its country 215 . Even the representatives of state institutionsdid not shy away from such harsh qualifications, and the media uncriticallybroadcasted all of this. What’s more, the journalists of the Public service ofSerbia began their reports with the words: „The citizens are fulfilling theircivic duties in large numbers“, „The citizens have shown here also that theylove their country“, etc 216 . Taking one side during the campaign in this wayhas not been recorded since the time of Slobodan Milosevic. Even at thattime, there were media houses which broadcasted the attitudes of the otheroption. This time, with modest exceptions (RTV B92 from time to time),there were no media houses in the country which reported equally on thereferendum campaign 217 .Some representatives of the authorities publicly supported the attacks onthe representatives of the anti-referendum block. The Serbian NationalCouncil and the Students’ Association from Kosovska Mitrovica organizeda meeting at the Republic Square in Belgrade on October 24 th218 . Themost eminent representatives of the block for boycott were accused inthe meeting that they were working in the interest if independent Kosovoand that they were traitors 219 . On this occasion messages of hate directed210 Source: the team of the Initiative for monitoring the electronic media; Jovanka Matic in a statement for thenewspaper DANAS, October 30 th , 2006, available at the website: http://www.danas.co.yu/20061030/dogadjajdana1.html#2,visited on November 25 th , 2006; the report of the Press Council of the Media Center, see aboveunder 199211 Ibid212 The Law on Public Information, see above under 1213 Law on broadcasting, Article 68, see above under 2214 Ibid, Article 79215 On the sources see above under 189216 Ibid217 Ibid218 Insults for those in favor of the boycott, B92, October 24 th , 2006, website: http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2006&mm=10&dd=24&nav_category=11&nav_id=216785, visited on November 25 th , 2006219 Ibid; Leaders of the boycott block, Cedomir Jovanovic, Natasa Micic, Nenad Canak, Natasa Kandic, Sonja58
Implementation of Transitional Laws in Serbia 2006towards both these people and the Albanian people could be heard 220 .Among the demonstrators there were people dressed in t-shirts withemblems of the Unit for Special Operations, as well as the officials of theruling Democratic Party of Serbia, Milan Ivanovic and Marko Jaksic 221 . Thedaily newspaper Kurir supported this gathering in a text headlined Siptarlobby 222 . Similar messages to the “traitors“ were sent from the pages of thedaily newspapers Glas javnost 223 and Press 224 .The media, wishing to make a large number of citizens vote in thereferendum, resorted to publishing false news. Namely, on the second dayof the referendum it was announced that the Government of Kosovoand its Prime Minister Agim Ceku were preparing a celebration andfireworks in Pristina if the referendum failed 225 . The TV stations Mostand Palma Plus announced this first, citing unnamed sources from theRepublic Government 226 . Later, the news was broadcasted by televisionswith republic wide coverage (RTS, Pink, Kosava...), but this time citingthe National Council of Kosovo and Metohija 227 . Article 3 of the Law onPublic Information regulates that the journalist and the editor are obligedto check the origin of information before publishing it 228 . This news, whichwere evidently false, represent one of the harshest violations of the fearsand prejudices of a part of the population. No media house in Serbia foundit appropriate to call the Kosovo Government and check the authenticityof the information.Article 86 of the Law on Advertising 229 allows state institutions toadvertise by calling the citizens to vote in the referendum. However, theGovernment of Serbia violated this law severely, by calling the citizens tocircle YES 230 . Such a form of influence on the electoral body is not allowedand represents an abuse of public power and the funds from the budget.Biserko i Goran Svilanovic were presented with the traditional Albanian cap “keche”, and derogative awards suchas “the golden keche” and “the golden wooden slipper” were given to them220 Some of the slogans were: „Ceda is an Albanian” and “we will kill Ceda”221 Ibid222 KURIR, The Shiptar lobby, October 25 th , 2006223 GLAS JAVNOSTI, At the voting places at five minutes to eight, October 30 th , 2006; GLAS JAVNOSTI, Boycott inthe service of independent Kosovo, October 29 th , 2006224 PRESS, Who do you prefer, the Patriarch or the lesbians, October 29 th , 2006225 On sources see above under 189226 Ibid227 Ibid228 Article 3 of the Law on public information, see above under 1229 The Law on advertising, see above on 11230 All the news about the campaign of the Government for adopting the Constitution can be found on thewebsite: http://www.srbija.sr.gov.yu/vesti/sekcija.php?id=240, visited on November 25 th , 200659
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Implementation of Transitional Laws in Serbia 2006

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