Wilhelm: Objections must be backed by evidence

BELGRADE - German Ambassador to Serbia Heinz Wilhelm said on Thursday that the objections concerning the freedom of the media in Serbia have to be backed by tangible evidence.

It is important for the government to look into everything and this is a requirement, Wilhelm said in a programme broadcast by the Belgrade-based Television B92 and added that the freedom of the media is an important topic in the accession talks and will thus remain an open topic.

He noted that he is not surprised by the questions concerning freedom of the media which were posed to Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in Berlin on Wednesday, having in mind the fierce debate on the subject in Serbia over the past few days.

I cannot comment on the objection OSCE voiced which was then energetically refuted by Vucic, but it is true that objections need to be backed by tangible evidence, he noted.

Recalling that hackers can take down websites from San Francisco or Berlin with equal success, Wilhelm said that the fact that there were cases of manipulation and webpage erasure does not have to mean that the government is behind these acts.

Photo Tanjug/S. Ilic (archive)