The Niš Hotel "New City", owned by the minister without portfolio Novica Tončev, was fined more than 470.000 dinars by the decision of the Commercial Court in Niš for canceling the debate on freedom of speech. Institute for European Affairs, that Institute announced today.
"From this final verdict and recent incidents, it is clear that democratic freedoms, which were won after the fall of Slobodan Milošević, are increasingly threatened," the executive director of the Institute for European Affairs, Naim Leo Beshiri, told the "Vremena" portal. He adds that "the narrow space for free discussion about social phenomena, events and politics in Serbia represents a serious threat to democracy."
"Freedom of expression is key to the preservation of democratic values, and we call on all relevant actors to engage in the protection of these values in order to preserve the hard-won freedoms of citizens," he concludes.
To recall, the hotel claimed that the debate "Freedom of expression on the trail of European values" was postponed on April 22, 2019, because the hall was flooded due to an accident. Professor of media ethics Čedomir Čupić, journalists Ivan Ivanović and Milojko Pantić and deputy editor of the NIN weekly Vesna Mališić were announced as participants in the debate.
The Institute for European Affairs assesses that it is increasingly difficult to organize open discussions and states that venues that have confirmed and then canceled their hospitality in recent years include the Bitef Theater and the Cultural Center Hall in Belgrade, the Niš Symphony Orchestra and the Officers' Home, as well as the Joakim Vujić Theater in Kragujevac.
Everyone canceled with different excuses, the most common being that they already had events scheduled. Hotel "New City" is now paying a penalty for cancellation, which includes court costs and default interest, but the biggest loss is the inability to discuss key issues with citizens.
Read daily news, analysis, commentary and interviews at www.vreme.com
