Nikola Petrović v. KRIK

KRIK (media outlet), Stevan Dojčinović (Editor-in-Chief), Bojana Jovanović, Dragana Pećo (journalists) (Journalist)

KRIK

The main hearing in the lawsuit concluded with testimonies given on the 21st. 10. 2024.

1. With the lawsuit that initiated the procedure, the plaintiff uses an imbalance of power, such as his financial advantage, political/social influence or authority as a power holder, in which way he puts pressure on the defendant – an actor participating in the public debate.

Tužilac je lice povezano sa najvišim nosiocima političke moći u zemlji, što mu obezbeđuje politički i društveni uticaj koji se koristi kao sredstvo pritiska na istraživačke novinare.

2. The arguments presented by the prosecutor are partially or completely unfounded.

The disputed article is based on verifiable and publicly available information regarding ownership ties with individuals under international investigation, which constitutes a legitimate subject of public interest.

3. The lawsuit or legal remedy, that is, the request or proposal submitted by the plaintiff is disproportionate, excessive or unreasonable.

The request to ban further reporting on a topic concerning ties between politically exposed persons and individuals from the criminal underworld constitutes a disproportionate restriction on freedom of expression.

4. Claims represent abuse of rights, i.e. distributive use of authority by public authorities against actors participating in public debate.

The use of legal proceedings to remove an investigative article and prevent further reporting on related matters indicates an attempt to intimidate and silence the media.

5. The lawsuit is filed (also) against an individual, namely the responsible editor of the media outlet and/or journalist, and not (only) against the organization that organized the disputed activity, or the publisher of the media outlet and/or journalist who published the news as part of the public debate.

The lawsuit was also filed against the journalists as natural persons, not solely against the editorial office.

6. The plaintiff, or persons associated with the plaintiff, have previously been or are currently involved in multiple coordinated lawsuits filed against participants in the public debate.

Nikola Petrović has, on multiple occasions, initiated proceedings against investigative media outlets (including BIRN and KRIK), indicating a pattern of targeted lawsuits against journalists covering matters of public interest.

8. On the occasion of the same event in the framework of public debate, several lawsuits were filed against the same defendant on different grounds.

Petrović has filed multiple lawsuits against various media outlets (BIRN, KRIK) over their reporting on his business ties with individuals from political and criminal circles, indicating a coordinated use of litigation aimed at restricting public debate.