CPJ welcomes convictions in murder of Curuvija

Curuvija was the owner of the mass-circulation Dnevni Telegraf, Serbia's first private daily, and the weekly magazine Evropljanin, independent regional news website Balkan Insight reported, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a press release the same day.

Curivija, 51, was shot and killed on April 11, 1999, outside his home near the Yugoslav Parliament building.
"We welcome decision of the Serbian court to sentence the four perpetrators responsible for the killing of Slavko uruvija, a journalist and an outspoken critic of Slobodan Milosevic's regime, to lengthy jail terms 20 years after the murder. Serbian authorities should continue to work toward complete justice by identifying those who ordered the murder and pursuing their prosecution," " said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza.
The former head of Serbian state security, Radomir Markovic, and security service officer Milan Radonjic were each sentenced to 30 years in prison, and secret service agents Ratko Romicand Miroslav Kurak each received 20-year prison sentences, according to Cenzolovka, a website that tracks media violations in Serbia, CPJ said, adding, "Markovic and Radonjic were charged with instigating a grave murder, while Romi and Kurak were indicted for carrying it out, according to local news website B92. B92 also reported that the prosecution believes the murder was ordered "by top state officials at the time."
The court's first-instance ruling can be appealed, B92 reported. Curuvija's case was a focus of the Commission for the Investigation of Murders of Journalists - established in 2012 and comprised of journalists and government officials - described in CPJ's 2014 investigative report on breaking the cycle of impunity in the killing...