NGOs, Media Urge Serbia to Resolve Mine Concerns

The letter signed by 43 NGOs and media organisations, released on Friday, called on Serbia’s state authorities to protect the public interest and investigate the controversy.“Regarding the tender for de-watering Tamnava mine, BIRN has revealed potential violation of public interest,” the letter said.“Citizens have an inviolable right to be accurately and timely informed of how and on what public budget money is being spent.

“Funds from the public budget must be allocated and spent in a manner that protects the public interest and takes into consideration the welfare of all citizens of Serbia,” the letter adds.

“The right of journalists to investigate, ask questions and critically review the work of public officials is a basic feature of a democratic society and of a free and independent journalism,” the letter continues.

The letter goes on to say that “the lack of reactions [to the BIRN investigation] from institutions responsible for the fight against corruption and the rule of law is unacceptable in a democratic, accountable and open society.

The letter signed by 43 NGOs and media organisations, released on Friday, called on Serbia’s state authorities to protect the public interest and investigate the controversy.“On the other hand, attacks on journalists because they do their job, protect the public interest, are absolutely unacceptable and undemocratic behavior,” it continued.

The signatories urge the prosecution office to investigate the tender in question and urge the regulatory state body for electronic media to conduct monitoring of national broadcasters and their coverage of the tender dispute.

They urge the media regulator to establish whether broadcasters “contributed to the full, objective and impartial information of the general public”.

They also called on the Anti-Corruption Council and Anti-Corruption Agency to investigate whether Serbia’s anti-corruption laws were breached and the integrity of whistleblowers violated. They also called Serbian public broadcaster RTS as a public service owned by citizens to allow representatives of BIRN to defend their findings and discuss them during a TV show with representatives of relevant government authorities and experts.

The 43 NGO and media organizations appealed to the Serbian authorities over the attacks BIRN was subjected to after publication of its story about the Tamnava mine tender.

Although the article about Tamnava tender drew a sharp reaction from the Serbian media and from officials, no local media outlets republished the text, nor was there any institutional reaction.

BIRN