Criminal procedure and reporting in the media

Abstract

The public has the right to be informed about the work of the judiciary, and about the outcome and course of the criminal proceedings, especially when it comes to serious crimes, and crimes committed by public figures. Similarly, defendants have rights which must not be violated by inadequate reporting. The balance between timely and complete information for the public and respect for the rights of defendants ought to be achieved, and also freedom of expression with the smooth progress of the criminal proceedings. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present the normative framework regulating this area in Serbia, and also to present the practice of the European Court of Human Rights relating to the articles 6 and 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The paper concludes with some recommendations for the improvement of the practice in the Republic of Serbia.

Javnost ima pravo da bude upućena u rad pravosuđa, odnosno u ishod i tok krivičnih postupaka, posebno kada su u pitanju teška krivična dela, kao i krivična dela izvršena od strane javnih ličnosti. Isto tako, i okrivljeni imaju svoja prava koja ne smeju biti povređena neadekvatnim izveštavanjem i olakim iznošenjem pretpostavki. Treba naći pravu meru između blagovremenog i potpunog informisanja i poštovanja prava okrivljenih, to jest omogućiti slobodu izražavanja uz neometano odvijanje krivičnih postupaka. Stoga je cilj rada da se predstavi normativni okvir koji uređuje ovu oblast u Srbiji, te da se u našim uslovima analizira primena standarda koje je osmislio Evropski sud za ljudska prava u svojoj bogatoj praksi u vezi sa čl. 6. i 10. Evropske konvencije o zaštiti ljudskih prava i osnovnih sloboda. Iz navedenog na kraju proizlaze određene preporuke za unapređenje postupanja.