Beta Editor: Police Summons Intended to Intimidate Media, Cover Up Cases

Vojkan Kostić, editor-in-chief of the Beta news agency, views his recent summons to the police as a form of intimidation against the media. He suspects the action is intended to serve as a "media cover-up" for sensitive cases, citing the "Senjak" murder investigation as an example.

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I will read why the police called me yesterday. The call was addressed to me, to report immediately, for the purpose of gathering information in proceedings for the criminal offense of preparing an act against the constitutional order and security of Serbia from Article 320 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia.

Kostić was asked to report to the police for questioning regarding "preparations for an act against the constitutional order and security of Serbia." He explained that he was with Aleksandar Radić when police initiated a search of Radić's apartment. Kostić stated he offered to accompany Radić after police contacted him. While on their way, Kostić received Radić's phone to manage incoming calls, as Radić anticipated media attention.

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I was not informed of this. What is true is that we talked about it there. I explained that I happened to be in the company of Radić and offered to go with him after the police called him. We were still on our way, on the trolleybus, we saw that some pro-government media had published information, and in the elevator he told me: 'Here's your phone, all the media will call me now, I won't be able to answer, wait for me.' That's the only reason I had his phone.

Kostić handed the phone over to the police and received the summons several hours later. He emphasized that if he had anything to hide, he would have left the scene. He also noted that the prosecutor had previously refused his offers to testify during the apartment search.

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I received the call to report to the police two or three hours after I handed them the phone. If there had been any reason for me to hide my role or minimize it, I would have left the scene. I have reported myself several times to be a witness during the apartment search, which the prosecutor did not wish to accept.

While Kostić acknowledged that police officers treated him professionally, he believes the overall operation serves to warn journalists and analysts. He suggested the action aims to discourage reporting on matters of public importance, implying it is a tactic to divert attention from ongoing investigations, such as the Senjak case or issues related to Serbian officials attending a summit in Montenegro.

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They treated me correctly at the police station, I can conclude that they were professional, but in my assessment, this whole action is aimed at warning the media and people who analyze things that are important to the public - that they should not deal with them. There is no case here, so everything they are doing serves as intimidation or a media cover-up for the Senjak case or the case related to sending people to the summit in Montenegro.