Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Slavko Curuvija


Curuvija, who edited the newspapers "Dnevni Telegraf" and "Evropljanin", was shot 17 times in the head and back by two masked gunmen April 11 outside his Belgrade apartment during the NATO military offensive. He was owner and editor of his newspaper, the first private daily established in Serbia. Curuvija was returning home with his wife at the time of the shooting. He had been repeatedly harassed for his articles critical of the regime of President Slobodan Milosevic and various state-owned newspapers had called him a "traitor".
The daily newspaper "Politika" has alleged that three policemen from the Republic of Srpska (a Bosnian Serb entity) are implicated in Curuvija's death, and that Luka Pejovic, a Montenegrin who was identified as Curuvija's killer by a witness, was innocent. Pejovic was gunned down outside his Belgrade home on 5 December 2000.
It is Sunday and The Bombed One seems more agitated than usual. Slavko Curuvija was killed a couple of hours ago in front of his house.
He wrote some very compromising and raw articles about Milosevic and his lunatic acts. This was one of the few but brave people who stood up and fought.
The Bombed One is right on target.
In a war where who knows how many people are being killed, the murder of 50-year-old renegade newsman Slavko Curuvija really does get my sympathy.
Curuvija, according to The Bombed One and reporters from the former Yugoslav republic, was a great journalist, one who regularly pissed off Slobodan Milosevic.
There was little reaction to this crime in Serbia. That is probably a consequence of fear that something could happen to people if they try to speak up.
For The Bombed One, Curuvija's death is symbolic.
As a publisher and editor, Curuvija had a long history of butting heads with Milosevic, criticizing the Serbian leader's policies, his connection with criminals like Zeljko "Arkan" Raznatovic, and the ruling party's corruption.
Bit by bit, Milosevic tightened the noose around Curuvija. On October 14, 1998, the Dnevni Telegraf was banned. Then the newsroom was sealed—and everything taken by government thugs—upon passage of a law called The Creation of Special Measures In Conditions of Immediate War Danger and NATO Threats. Curuvija and his editorial team were fined several times.
Then, on March 8, he was sentenced to five months in jail for "disturbing the public."
His appeal was in the works at the time of his death.
Most people who knew him were in a way expecting something like that to happen to him.
The Bombed One, and Serbs like him opposed to Milosevic, lost perhaps what little hope they had of ending the madness.
-----------------------------------------
Me, I lost a hero I never knew I had.
-----------------------------------------
April 14, 1999 By all accounts Slavko Curuvija was not a saint. The Serbian publisher and editor had cruised in shady circles, at times even rubbing shoulders with members of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's regime. His personal life was, well, lively. Tall and charismatic, a dapper dresser with a neatly trimmed gray beard, the 50-year-old had a reputation as a serial womanizer. The editor in chief of the Daily Telegraph newspaper crusaded against the corruption and often brutal actions of Milosevic's cronies. To liberals, he was one of the good guys.
So last Sunday, on Orthodox Easter, when masked gunmen pumped seven bullets into his head, a jolt of fear and revulsion hit Belgrade's pro-democracy elite. On Wednesday, despite rumors they would be arrested, more than 2,000 of them -- artists, opposition politicians, journalists -- flocked into downtown Belgrade's sprawling "New Cemetery" to pay respect to one of their own. No one doubted who was behind the assassination. It was a ritual murder, done on a major religious holiday, in front of his wife. It was a message from the regime to people like us that we, too, can end up like that.
There's more than one war being waged in Yugoslavia. Milosevic was fighting on at least three other fronts: war in Kosovo, Montenegro President and elimination of liberal opponents.
Milosevic liberal opposition in Serbia is on the run, either out of the country or underground. "We're virtually dead."-says one of them. Make that literally, in the case of Curuvija. Grief and shock floated through the onlookers, but the overriding emotion was fear. Nobody spoke up in protest.
As long as the war continues, the situation promises only to get worse. The airstrikes have unified most Serbs behind their leader, if only to defend their country.
Ironically, the only faint source of hope comes from a man who once betrayed them. Vuk Draskovic, an eloquent speaker who marched at the front of the pro-democracy protests of 1996, but later meekly joined Milosevic's ruling coalition, gave a surprising speech condemning the killing of Curuvija on his television station Tuesday. "Those who ordered and committed the murder of Slavko Curuvija have pointed on Serbia a weapon more powerful than all of NATO's bombs and missiles," he thundered, warning of a civil war. At the funeral, some people wondered what Draskovic's speech really meant. Only one thing was certain. "Man, he has balls," exclaimed a journalist.
* * * * * * *
Slavko Ćuruvija, born August 9, 1949 in Zagreb.
After graduating from University of Belgrade's Faculty of Political Sciences, Ćuruvija found employment as a business secretary and PR assistant at Mašinogradnja company in Belgrade. He soon became the contributor to Zagreb's Danas weekly magazine, as well as to the Social Research Center (Centar za drustvena istrazivanja).
Between 1984 and 1986, he worked as an analyst in Federal Interior Secreteriat and State Security.
In 1986, Ćuruvija joined the staff of Borba.
He stayed with the daily paper until 1994 while regularly contributing to Komunist, Vjesnik, NIN, Večernji list, Nedelja, Pobjeda, TV Belgrade, TV Politika, TV Sarajevo, and some foreign publications.
In 1994, after the regime's unofficial takeover at Borba, Ćuruvija, along with many other staffers decided to leave the daily. While some of them quickly reconvened to form Nasa borba, Ćuruvija took another career route, hooking up with Momčilo Đorgović to create Nedeljni telegraf - a weekly tabloid newspaper. In 1996, the duo founded Dnevni telegraf - Serbia's first privately owned daily in more than 50 years.
In 1998, Ćuruvija additionally started a bi-weekly magazine Evropljanin where he gathered some notable names of Serbian journalism such as Aleksandar Tijanić, Ljiljana Smajlović, and Dragan Bujosevic.
Both Curuvija-owned publications undeniably benefited from his access to Mirjana Marković, wife of Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic. Ćuruvija's common-law wife Branka Prpa who was with him at the time of his murder attaches less significance to this friendship saying that it "revolved around conversations that many other journalists engaged in with Mira Marković hoping to manipulate her into revealing more than she'd originally planned". Prpa went on to add: "However, I think they became the ones being manipulated as the time went on".
Dnevni telegraf was banned on October 14, 1998 under a special new decree.
Furious with the new developments, Ćuruvija demanded to see Mira Marković and a meeting was arranged at her party's (Yugoslav Left) offices during the week Dnevni telegraf was banned as the new Information Law was being prepared. The meeting, reportedly quickly turned into a heated exchange.
Curuvija was shouting: "What the hell do you think you're doing. If you continue down this crazy path, you can be sure you'll all be hanging off lamp posts in Terazije".
The culmination of the day-long trial was a crippling DM350,000 fine.
Aleksandar Tijanic:
"A hired assassin killed him. A more interesting thing is who ordered his murder. I don't know who ordered it, but I know who his greatest enemies were. They were: court, the court jester and the court communists. Slavko had very powerful enemies. Slavko originated from Lika and he endured all of that stoically. He believed that Milosevic would fall soon. I claimed that he would hold power for years. I didn't notice his fear. He had two wrong assumptions. The first one was that this regime was dying. The second was that somebody from high circles would warn him in the case of a danger. It couldn't be expected. Such decisions are usually reached in a very narrow circle and there is no one to warn you. "
-He was mostly reproached because of your articles. Were you afraid?
"Both of us were threatened. A day before Slavko was murdered, I received twenty phone calls; a male voice repeated the same sentence: You are an imperial agent. The next day, Slavko was dead. When the threats began I allowed him to inform me if my articles endangered his newspapers.
We talked twice about it and I suggested that we should make a pause. He refused it. He said that it was our job and that we had to do it. Once, he was visited by a high official of the Socialist Party of Serbia, who told him that I had to stop writing such articles. If not, they would kill me.
Slavko called me immediately and told me the name of that man. He is director of a plant. I asked Slavko if that man precisely said that they were going to kill me and not him. Slavko said that I was the one. I told Slavko that he was to decide whether my articles were going to be published or not, but that I would write them in any case. He decided that we should go on. Later events showed that he was more important for them."
"The first anniversary of his death made a greater sensation than the very murder. Many things were accepted silently because of the war."
Slavko Curuvija was killed not because he had fought for the freedom of his newspapers and for the media freedom, but because he had fought for freedom within a society composed of deceits, failures, hallucinations and crime.
"He was killed because somebody had estimated that the Serbs' habits of speaking and thinking should be broken."
Slavko's murder is the first real political murder in Serbia and the beginning of the public degeneration of the system. With his life, Slavko ransomed the lives of several other journalists.
"He who forgets that Slavko was murdered not because of his newspapers, but because of the freedom in Serbia, becomes an accomplice in a continual crime the end of which cannot be seen."

66 comments:

Anonymous said...

When someοne writes an post he/shе retains the idea οf a user
in his/her brain thаt how a user cаn know іt.
Thегеfоre that's why this post is great. Thanks!

Here is my page: three unlock iphone

Anonymous said...

Very good blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?
I'm planning to start my own blog soon but I'm a little lost on everything.
Would you propose starting with a free platform like Wordpress or
go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I'm totally overwhelmed .. Any recommendations? Kudos!

Here is my page ... article games

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I check your blog like every week. Your humoristic style is witty, keep it up!


Also visit my blog post ... tribosonline.com.br

Anonymous said...

I've read a few just right stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how a lot effort you set to make this kind of great informative web site.

Here is my homepage - Paraben Free Makeup

Anonymous said...

Good replies in return of this query with real arguments and
explaining all about that.

Here is my webpage Interior And Design (http://interior-and-design.fashionarticles.eu)

Anonymous said...

Hi there, of course this paragraph is genuinely good and I have learned lot of things from it on the
topic of blogging. thanks.

My blog post: authors of books ()

Anonymous said...

Thank you for another informative website. Where else may just I
am getting that type of information written in such an ideal manner?

I've a venture that I'm just now running on, and I've been at the glance out for such info.

Here is my web page; real estate services

Anonymous said...

Thanks for every other wonderful post. Where else could anyone
get that kind of info in such a perfect means of writing?
I have a presentation next week, and I am at the search
for such information.

Here is my web-site :: Travel news (arbiture.com)

Anonymous said...

Wow, incredible blog layout! How long have you been
blogging for? you made blogging look easy.
The overall look of your website is wonderful, let alone
the content!

My web blog ... art work

Anonymous said...

This design is steller! You definitely know how to keep a
reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved
to start my own blog (well, almost...HaHa!) Great job. I really
enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
Too cool!

my blog chemicals manufacturers

Anonymous said...

What's up, I desire to subscribe for this blog to take newest updates, thus where can i do it please help out.

my weblog :: education colleges

Anonymous said...

You actually make it seem really easy along with
your presentation however I to find this matter to be really something that I believe I might by no means understand.
It sort of feels too complex and extremely broad for me. I'm taking a look forward in your subsequent post, I'll try to get the hold of it!


my blog ... latest real estate news

Anonymous said...

May I simply say what a comfort to uncover somebody that genuinely
understands what they're discussing over the internet. You actually understand how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people ought to read this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you aren't
more popular given that you certainly have the gift.

My web site - financial business news

Anonymous said...

I think this is one of the most important information for me.
And i am glad reading your article. But should remark on few general
things, The website style is perfect, the articles is really great : D.
Good job, cheers

Also visit my blog :: government article ()

Anonymous said...

This is the right web site for everyone who hopes to
understand this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa).

You certainly put a new spin on a topic that has been written about for many years.

Wonderful stuff, just excellent!

My webpage: government articles

Anonymous said...

My coder is trying to convince me to move to .
net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.
But he's tryiong none the less. I've been using Movable-type on a number of websites for about
a year and am nervous about switching to another platform.
I have heard good things about blogengine.net. Is
there a way I can import all my wordpress content into
it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!


My web blog blog art ()

Anonymous said...

An impressive share! I've just forwarded this onto a coworker who had been doing a little homework on this. And he in fact ordered me dinner because I stumbled upon it for him... lol. So let me reword this.... Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to discuss this topic here on your site.

my blog; family home

Anonymous said...

Excellent post. I certainly love this site.
Thanks!

my web blog food health articles

Anonymous said...

Spot on with this write-up, I really believe that this website needs a
great deal more attention. I'll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the information!

My site: metal manufacturing

Anonymous said...

Undeniably believe that that you stated. Your favourite
reason seemed to be at the web the easiest factor to bear in mind of.
I say to you, I certainly get annoyed at the same time as other folks think about issues that they just don't know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , folks can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks

Also visit my weblog; energy press releases

Anonymous said...

Hi there terrific blog! Does running a blog like this take a great deal of work?

I have virtually no expertise in coding but I had been
hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyway, if you have
any suggestions or tips for new blog owners please share.
I understand this is off topic however I just had to ask.
Many thanks!

Feel free to visit my web page; the home news

Anonymous said...

Hey there this is kind of of off topic but I was wanting
to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually
code with HTML. I'm starting a blog soon but have no coding experience so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Here is my weblog: electrical engineering news

Anonymous said...

I love what you guys tend to be up too. This kind of
clever work and exposure! Keep up the amazing works guys I've incorporated you guys to my personal blogroll.

My web site online dating articles

Anonymous said...

I'm impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that's equally educative and engaging, and let me tell
you, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something not enough folks are speaking intelligently
about. I am very happy that I came across this during my hunt for something concerning this.


Review my page ... communications marketing

Anonymous said...

Hi just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post be seemingly running off the screen in Opera.
I’m unsure if this can be a format issue or something
related to web browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let
you know. The look look great though! Hope you receive the matter fixed soon.
Thanks

Here is my page electric power news (www.cesurveguzel.com)

Anonymous said...

Hey there! I understand this is notably off topic but I was
wondering which weblog platform are you currently using
for this site? I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had problems with hackers and I’m taking a look at choices for
still another platform. I'd be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

Also visit my site ... environment news ()

Anonymous said...

I blog often and I truly thank you for your information.
The article has really peaked my interest. I am going to take a note of your site and keep checking for new information about once a
week. I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.

My blog - Colleges Universities

Anonymous said...

Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed
reading it, you'll be a great author. I'll ensure that you bookmark your blog
and will often return later on. I wish to encourage you to carry on your great job, have a nice week-end!


Feel free to visit my site - pressreleases

Anonymous said...

Currently it appears as though BlogEngine could be the top blogging platform available right
now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your own blog?


Have a look at my site :: electrical News [fashloop.com]

Anonymous said...

WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching
for clarion db345mp

Here is my site :: Finance Articles

Anonymous said...

Greetings! That is my first stop by at your website!
We have been a team of volunteers and starting a brand
new initiative in a residential area in exactly the same niche.
Your blog provided us of use information to work
with. You have done a extraordinary job!

Here is my web-site Finance Articles [Uk.Chefs-Jobs.Com]

Anonymous said...

Thanks for finally talking about > "Slavko Curuvija" < Liked it!

Here is my homepage: food
articles news

Anonymous said...

I really like your blog.. good colors & theme.

my web page: search marketing news *http://www.headpen.com/index.php?do=/blog/594/search-engine-optimisation-advertising-and-marketing-alternatives*

Anonymous said...

At this time I am going away to do my breakfast, once having my breakfast coming over
again to read other news.

Also visit my web-site; entertainment news **

Anonymous said...

You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something that I think
I would never understand. It seems too complicated and
very broad for me. I'm looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!

my web blog :: article games ()

Anonymous said...

Hey I understand this is off topic but I was wondering in
the event that you knew of any widgets I could increase my web log that automatically tweet
my newest twitter updates. I’ve been buying a plug-in similar to
this for quite a while and was hoping perchance you might have some experience with something like this.
Please i would ike to know if you come across anything.
I really enjoy reading your website and I enjoy your new updates.


Also visit my website ... real estate property management ()

Anonymous said...

I just could not leave your site prior to suggesting
that I really loved the usual info a person supply for your visitors?
Is gonna be back frequently to check up on new posts

My website racing

Anonymous said...

Howdy! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from
an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog?
I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I'm thinking about
creating my own but I'm not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Many thanks

Feel free to surf to my web site :: solar energy news

Anonymous said...

Hey are employing WordPress for your blog platform? I’m not used to the
blog world but I’m trying to get started and create
my own, personal. Can you require any html coding expertise to make your personal web log?
Any help could be greatly appreciated!

Also visit my page dating women

Anonymous said...

I don't even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. I do not know who you are but definitely you're
going to a famous blogger if you aren't already ;) Cheers!

Also visit my webpage :: environmental news

Anonymous said...

Are you experiencing a spam problem on this site; I also am a
blogger, and I was wondering your position; we now have created some nice techniques and we're trying to trade strategies with others, please shoot me a message if interested.

my blog post :: communication articles ()

Anonymous said...

I have been exploring for a bit for any high-quality articles or blog
posts in this kind of space . Exploring in
Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this web site. Studying this
info So i am happy to show that I've a very just right uncanny feeling I came upon exactly what I needed. I most unquestionably will make sure to don?t put out of your mind this web site and give it a look regularly.

Look at my homepage :: pr articles

Anonymous said...

Howdy I am so thrilled I found your site, I
really found you by error, while I was searching on Yahoo for something different, Nonetheless I'm here now and would the same as to express kudos for a significant post and a at all times entertaining web log (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time for you to look over it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it as well as added your RSS feeds, then when I have time I am back again to read a lot more, Please do keep up the awesome job.

Here is my web-site :: fashion hairstyles

Anonymous said...

Hi there, this weekend is nice designed for me, as
this occasion i am reading this impressive informative piece
of writing here at my home.

Feel free to surf to my web page ...

Anonymous said...

you are in reality a just right webmaster. The website loading speed is incredible.
It kind of feels that you're doing any unique trick. In addition, The contents are masterwork. you have done a great task on this matter!

Feel free to surf to my blog :: art photography (anjum1.bugs3.com)

Anonymous said...

Hello, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was
just curious if you get a lot of spam comments? If so how
do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can advise? I get so much lately it's driving me insane so any assistance is very much appreciated.

my site - colleges universities (gozzipp.com)

Anonymous said...

Thank you a lot for sharing this with all of us you actually recognize what you're speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Kindly additionally consult with my web site =). We may have a hyperlink change agreement between us

My site: restaurant news :: kafilubon.com ::

Anonymous said...

Nice blog here! Additionally your website a lot up very fast!
What host are you the usage of? Can I am getting your associate hyperlink
for your host? I wish my web site loaded up as fast
as yours lol

Have a look at my blog post: plastics manufacturing

Anonymous said...

Wow which was unusual. I recently wrote an really long comment but
after I clicked submit my comment didn’t arrive.
Grrrr… well I’m perhaps not writing all that once
more. Anyways, just wanted to say great weblog!

my blog video game news

Anonymous said...

Write more, thats all I need to say. Literally,
this indicates as if you relied on the video to create your point.
You demonstrably know very well what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting
videos to your weblog once you might be giving us something enlightening to see?


my website: the home news

Anonymous said...

I believe everything published was actually very logical.
But, what about this? suppose you wrote a catchier post
title? I ain't suggesting your content is not good, however suppose you added a title that grabbed people's attention?
I mean "Slavko Curuvija" is a little boring. You should look at Yahoo's home page and note how they create article titles to get people to click. You might try adding a video or a picture or two to get people interested about everything've written.
In my opinion, it could make your posts a little livelier.


my blog post ::

Anonymous said...

Excellent post however I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this topic?
I'd be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Thank you!

my web page :: Golf Shoes

Anonymous said...

I'm excited to uncover this great site. I wanted to thank you for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely appreciated every little bit of it and i also have you book-marked to check out new things in your blog.

Here is my web-site college university

Anonymous said...

I think that is among the so much significant info for me.
And i am glad studying your article. However wanna remark on some basic things, The
web site style is wonderful, the articles is really great : D.
Excellent task, cheers

Feel free to visit my homepage communication article

Anonymous said...

Thank you for any other informative site. Where else may
just I get that type of info written in such an ideal method?

I have a mission that I am simply now operating on, and I have been at the glance out for such information.


my homepage: new businesses

Anonymous said...

Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon everyday.
It's always exciting to read through content from other authors and practice a little something from their web sites.

Feel free to surf to my web site ...

Anonymous said...

Hello mates, fastidious paragraph and fastidious arguments commented at this place,
I am actually enjoying by these.

Also visit my site; Travel Article

Anonymous said...

Spot on with this write-up, I absolutely believe this amazing site needs much more attention.
I'll probably be back again to see more, thanks for the advice!

Take a look at my homepage :: real estate articles

Anonymous said...

Hi there, after reading this remarkable paragraph i
am too happy to share my familiarity here with mates.


Look into my web blog ... marketing advertising (lbp.im)

Anonymous said...

Nice answer back in return of this matter with firm arguments and explaining the whole thing regarding that.



Take a look at my web page ... Food News Article

Anonymous said...

I almost never comment, however i did some searching and wound up here "Slavko Curuvija".
And I actually do have a few questions for you if you don't mind. Could it be just me or does it give the impression like a few of these responses come across like they are coming from brain dead visitors? :-P And, if you are posting at additional online sites, I'd
like to follow anything new you have to post. Could you make
a list of the complete urls of all your community sites like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?


Feel free to surf to my blog post ... Education articles []

Anonymous said...

I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your sites really nice,
keep it up! I'll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back in the future. Cheers

My blog - lifestyle hotels

Anonymous said...

Hey I understand that is off topic but I was wondering in the event that you
knew of any widgets I possibly could add to my web log that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
I’ve been buying plug-in like this for quite some time and was
hoping perhaps you would have some experience with something similar
to this. Please i'd like to know in the event that you come across any such thing. I really enjoy reading your site and I anticipate your updates.

Also visit my blog post ... home & family

Anonymous said...

great post, very informative. I ponder why the other specialists of this sector don't notice this. You must continue your writing. I am confident, you've a huge readers' base already!

Here is my weblog: Fashion Clothes And Accessories

Anonymous said...

Someone necessarily assist to make seriously posts
I would state. This is the very first time I frequented your website page and to this point?

I surprised with the analysis you made to create this actual publish amazing.
Great process!

Also visit my blog post - Wedding Dress Designers (wedding-dress-designers.fashionarticles.eu)

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot for sharing this with all of us you really
know what you're talking approximately! Bookmarked. Please additionally talk over with my website =). We will have a link trade contract among us

my website ... Gift Shopping (gift-shopping.fashionarticles.eu)