The portal Pištaljka investigates corruption and abuses of power within government structures, as well as misconduct in private and public enterprises and other institutions. A key focus of the portal’s work is the protection of whistleblowers’ rights. In 2021, Pištaljka published an article revealing that the underage sons of public official Aleksandar Senić were formally listed as directors of one of the companies.
Aleksandar Senić, a politician and former director at the state-owned company Corridors of Serbia, has sued the portal and its journalists no fewer than four times over articles addressing his official role and personal assets. In one of these lawsuits, Senić filed a claim against Pištaljka’s editor-in-chief, Vladimir Radomirović, in connection with the article titled “Senić’s Sons, Aged Six and Nine, Lent Millions to ‘Their’ Company”. This report stated that companies formally headed by Senić’s underage sons had increased their capital by approximately 50 million dinars in the three years preceding publication, despite the fact that “during their entire period of operation they did not generate even half that amount in revenue.”
In one of his claims, Senić argued that Pištaljka had “attacked his children” and thereby “destroyed their development.” The lawsuit asserted that “the defendant, without a shred of empathy, endangered the free personal development of the underage plaintiffs and devastated their moral, intellectual, emotional, and social growth.” The Higher Court in Belgrade ruled in favour of Pištaljka, stating that “appropriate care was exercised given the circumstances, and the truthfulness and completeness of the published information was verified with due journalistic diligence.” This ruling was issued after two and a half years of court proceedings.
On this occasion, Pištaljka publicly emphasised that this is “yet another victory against a public official who seeks to obstruct the work of the editorial team and prevent investigations and reporting on the assets of public officials by means of SLAPP lawsuits.” The example of Pištaljka demonstrates that even when journalists exercise the highest standards of professional diligence, this does not deter public officials from filing lawsuits against them. Although Pištaljka substantiated all its information with official documentation and stood firmly behind every claim, this did not prevent Senić from dragging the portal and its journalists into prolonged and burdensome litigation. Consequently, Pištaljka’s journalists were forced to prepare for court hearings instead of continuing their professional work without obstruction.
This document has been prepared within the framework of the Western Balkans Civil Society Development Hub project, funded by Sida and implemented by BCSDN.
The content of this document, including all information and views expressed, does not represent the official position of Sida or BCSDN. The author bears sole responsibility for its content.
