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🇷🇸 Serbia /Economy & Trade

Subotica Mayor’s Conviction for Insulting Economics Dean Becomes Final

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Documents & data Outcome reported
  • The Higher Court in Subotica upheld Mayor Stevan Bakić’s conviction and 150,000-dinar fine for a continuing criminal offense of insult.
  • The case concerned televised statements in which Bakić called Economics Faculty dean Aleksandar Čučković insulting names.
  • The court ruled that political speech receives strong protection, but the statements crossed the line into personal humiliation and did not require proof of psychological harm.

Subotica Mayor Stevan Bakić has been definitively fined 150,000 dinars for insulting Aleksandar Čučković, dean of the city’s Faculty of Economics.

Scoundrel

· Stevan BakićThe mayor used the term to describe economics dean Aleksandar Čučković in a televised press conference.

The Higher Court in Subotica rejected Bakić’s defense appeal on August 27 and upheld the first-instance judgment issued on May 28, 2026. In addition to the fine, Bakić must pay a 6,000-dinar court charge and costs connected with the private plaintiff’s legal representation, under a separate decision.

The case arose from statements Bakić made at televised press conferences on December 30, 2024, and January 3, 2025. The judgment said he described Čučković as a “scoundrel” and claimed that Čučković and the dean of Subotica’s Faculty of Civil Engineering were taking “big strides to move from being scoundrels to being lowlifes.”

Big strides to move from being scoundrels to being lowlifes.

· Stevan BakićBakić used the phrase while referring to Čučković and the dean of Subotica’s Faculty of Civil Engineering.

The court said the first-instance judges had properly assessed the evidence, including testimony from the plaintiff and the defendant and recordings of the press conferences. It rejected the defense argument that an expert examination should determine whether Čučković suffered psychological problems, saying such consequences are not required for the offense of insult.

It is true that political speech enjoys the highest level of legal protection.

· Higher Court in SuboticaThe court acknowledged the protection given to political speech before ruling that Bakić’s remarks crossed into personal insult.

The judges also addressed Bakić’s claim that the remarks formed part of political activity and the protection of a legitimate interest. Political speech enjoys the highest level of legal protection, the judgment said, but the terms used against Čučković could not be treated as political struggle, an expression of opinion or protection of a legitimate interest. The court found that they were intended to insult and demean him. Čučković may have to tolerate a higher level of public criticism as a faculty dean, it added, but that does not extend to attacks on his human dignity. Lawyer Nikola Babić said the plaintiff could now file a separate damages lawsuit for harm to honor and reputation.

The conditions have been met for filing a lawsuit for damages for harm to honor and reputation, as basic components of personal dignity.

· Nikola BabićThe private plaintiff’s lawyer described a possible next legal action after the criminal conviction.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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