Serbian press marks unpunished 1999 killing of journalist

By JOVANA GEC and DUSAN STOJANOVIC
Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Independent Serbian journalists have marked the 24th anniversary of a prominent editor and newspaper publisher’s killing. Slavko Curuvija was shot at the entrance to his Belgrade apartment in April 1999, while NATO was bombing Serbia over its crackdown on Kosovo Albanian separatists. Curuvija’s killing became a symbol of the struggle for a free press in the Balkan nation. Independent media organizations say critical journalists still face threats because of their work. The government of populist President Aleksandar Vucic – who was information minister when Curuvija’ was killed – maintains tight control over mainstream media. Foreign rights groups attended the gatherings of independent journalists on Tuesday to mark Curuvija’s killing and show solidarity with Serbia’s media today.