Project: Roma in Serbia: How safe they feel and do they see improvements?14Jan2014
OSCE Mission to Serbia Head calls for rights to be respected in criminal investigations
While welcoming the efforts of Serbian authorities to complete the investigation in the case of murdered journalist Slavko Ćuruvija and to bring the perpetrators to justice, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Peter Burkhard, urged respect for constitutional provisions and professional and ethical standards related to informing the public about police investigations and court proceedings.
“The identity of potential suspects and information related to their expected arrests should not be revealed, nor should the media be used as a tool in criminal proceedings,” Burkhard added.
“This practice, increasingly present in Serbian public discourse, can jeopardize investigations, compromise witnesses and their safety, and violate the right to a fair trial,” he said. “The public has the right to be informed, including on criminal cases, but this should be done without violating constitutional rights or interfering with investigations or court proceedings.”