Intense reactions provokes the decision of the Belgrade Court of Appeal to acquit four former members of the State Security (DB) who had been convicted for the murder, in April 1999, of the journalist and publisher Slavko Tsuruvia.

Yesterday, Friday, the appeals court annulled the first instance verdict and acquitted former DB executives and members Radomir Markovic, Milan Radonic, Miroslav Kuriak and Ratko Romic who were sentenced, in April 2019, to a total of 100 years in prison for murder.

In the reasoning of the decision it is stated that “there is no direct or indirect evidence that reliably confirms that Markovic, Radonic, Kurak and Romic are the perpetrators of this criminal act”. The decision is final.

Slavko Tsuruvia was murdered on April 11, 1999on Easter and while the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was in progress.

He was shot in the back and head in front of the entrance of the apartment building where he lived, at the moment he was returning from a walk, accompanied by his wife. In the trial held in 2019, the Special Court ruled that Slavko Tsuruvia was murdered because of his criticism, at home and abroad, of the Serbian political leadership. During the trial, the name of Slobodan Milosevic’s wife, Mira Markovic, was implicated in the case, however, her role was never fully clarified, nor was she prosecuted. Tsuruvia’s assassination was preceded by a campaign targeting him as a “traitor” and “mouthpiece for foreign interests” by publications controlled by the Milosevic regime. Five days before the assassination, on April 6, 1999, the daily newspaper “Ekspres politika” published an article entitled “Tsuruvia welcomed the NATO bombs”, which was read on the main newscast of public television (RTS).

Media Associations in Serbia condemned the acquittal of the accused in the murder of journalist Slavko Tsuruvia. The Serbian opposition parties also expressed their indignation at the “degradation” of the judicial system.

Reactions were also expressed from abroad.

The US expresses disappointment at the Belgrade appeals court’s acquittal. “It is disappointing to note that justice and punishment for the killers of Slavko Tsuruvia remain elusive, even 25 years after his murder. It’s a sad day for journalism,” the State Department said in a statement.

The OSCE states in a related statement that “the acquittal of those convicted of the Tsuruvia murder raises serious questions about the rule of law in Serbia.”