The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today urged Serbian lawmakers to throw out a package of controversial draft amendments to the Public Information Act proposed by the government of Serbia.

In a letter to the President of Serbia, Mr Boris Tadi?, IFJ President Jim Boumelha urged him to withdraw the amendments. He wrote: "We are concerned about the Serbian Government's haste to adopt these amendments at an extraordinary session of Parliament, without any prior public debate, or even consultation with media associations, journalists and/or experts."

According to a thorough analysis by independent legal experts commissioned by the Journalists' Association of Serbia (JAS), one of IFJ affiliates in Serbia, these amendments to articles 14, 16, 92, 93 and 95 are not in accordance with European standards nor with Serbia's Constitution, and would severely constrain freedom of expression in Serbia.

They found that the main provisions at the heart of these changes, registration requirement and fines, do not satisfy the most important requirement of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights - that any measures must be "necessary in a democratic society" - and do not achieve goals that Article 10 deems legitimate.

The other IFJ affiliate, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (IJAS), also shares these concerns. They drafted and submitted changes to the disputed amendments, highlighting the best European practice and the need for harmonisation of Serbia's media legislation with the EU standards.

The IFJ supports its affiliates in opposing the amendments. "The proposed drastic fines, which would make it possible for your government to rapidly shut down media outlets, are inconsistent with the Serbian legal system and will impose an enormous restraint on freedom of the press, resulting in stifling the media, as well as self-censorship." wrote Boumelha in his letter to the president.

The IFJ objects to the media registry's being subjected to state control, as well as to the heavy fines imposed for failing to register which could only lead media outlets to bankruptcy. It further believes that the proposal to shut down publications for being insolvent for a non-consecutive period of 90 days will also curtail press freedom.

The IFJ joins its affiliates, the Journalists' Association of Serbia and the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia, in calling on members of the Serbian Parliament to reject these legislative proposals.

For more information contact the IFJ at +32 2 235 2207

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 123 countries worldwide