Rights groups denounce acquittal of former Serbian security officers accused of killing a journalist

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC
Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Media rights groups and opposition campaigners have condemned a Serbian appeals court ruling that acquitted four former intelligence officers who were jailed for the killing of a prominent editor and newspaper publisher. Slavko Curuvija was shot dead at the entrance to his Belgrade apartment during the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia over its crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists. His killing became a symbol of the long struggle for a free press in the Balkan nation that is formally seeking membership in the European Union. The ruling by the Appeals Court on Friday overturned a 2021 decision that convicted the four men and sentenced them to lengthy prison terms. The court said that the accusations against the four had not been proven beyond a doubt.