Protest over pro-regime tabloid’s serial rapist interview

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A number of civil rights groups staged a protest in front of the offices of a pro-regime tabloid that published an interview with a convicted rapist.

Informer interviewed Igor Milosevic who was released from prison recently after serving a 15 year sentence. Milosevic explained his motivations for rape in detail in the interview parts of which were published on the tabloid’s web site. A video of the interview did not seem to be available.

The crowd gathered on Belgrade’s central Terazije square where the Informer offices are located carried banners calling for the protection of women’s rights and others calling for a ban on Informer. There were also chants of shame and eggs were pelted at the entrance to the building.

Spokespersons of several NGOs said that the interview should not have been published because “serial rapists shoud not get any space in the media”.

The Press Council said earlier in the day that Informer violated the Serbian Journalists’ Code by publishing the interview and called the tabloid to abide by professional standards.

One of the protesters approached Informer editor in chief Dragan Vucicevic as he was entering the Informer offices, said “How dare you?” and kicked him. She, however, said that she poured water on him and tried to kick him but that she missed.

The first basic public prosecutor’s office in Belgrade sent a request to the police to interview Vucicevic, obtain surveillance camera footage and question the woman who attacked him.

Vucicevic said that the tabloid was being attacked by haters and Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic for political and personal interests. “The interview which we published is journalism and everyone demanding a ban on Informer does not understand journalism,” he wrote, adding that the interview does not glorify the serial rapist.