Press releases

22. 11. 2018.

UNS and DNKiM: Pristina Violates Citizens’ Right to Information

The Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS) and the Journalists’ Association of Kosovo and Metohija (DNKiM) most strongly condemn the imposition of additional tax of 100 percent to the press from Serbia that was introduced yesterday by Pristina, the reason why the Serbian print media failed to reach their readers in Kosovo and Metohija today.

UNS and DNKiM underline this is a flagrant violation of the citizens’ right to information and that the dissemination of information must be exempt from all the economic or political restrictions.

UNS and DNKiM therefore urge Pristina to ensure, without any delays, free distribution of the Serbian print media.  

UNS and DNKiM point out that such an imposition of obstacles to distribution seriously jeopardize the right of Serbian people to information in their mother tongue, especially bearing in mind the fact that not a single daily or weekly newspaper in Serbian language is printed in Kosovo and Metohija.

As Zvezdan Mihajlovic from the company KiM Beokolp, which distributes the Serbian print media in Kosovo and Metohija, confirmed, they normally crossed this morning the Serbian side in Jarinje, but the Kosovo side asked them to pay the tax that was increased by 100 percent.

“We were not able to pay double tax and we took all the press back. We are doing our best in Beokolp so as to re-establish distribution, we are aware how the print media are important, even  if we suffer some minor losses”, Mihajlovic said.

UNS and DNKiM will inform the International and European Federation of Journalists about this situation.