Pištaljka Journalist Acquitted
Date Published: 16 December 2025
Information and image credits to Pištaljka's article: Pištaljka Journalist Acquitted - Pištaljka.rs
Snežana Djurić journalist at the Serbian NGO and WIN Membership organisation Pištaljka, has been acquitted of all charges in a criminal complaint filed by the former Secretary General of the Serbian Rowing Federation (VSS), Vladimir Antić, who had sought a two-year prison sentence for her. The Second Basic Court in Belgrade ruled on Thursday, 11 December 2025.
Vladimir Antić, during whose term the VSS was suspended by the World Rowing Federation and the Serbian Olympic Committee, had sought a two-year prison sentence for his photo published alongside an article, which was taken from the official VSS website and duly signed. In addition to the two-year prison sentence, Antić also requested that journalist Djurić be convicted of insult for publishing an article about his lawsuit against Pistaljka.
Judge Zoran Sarić of the Second Basic Court in Belgrade stated during the announcement of the verdict that the article did not contain any allegations made with the intention of disparaging others. Judge Sarić also said that the journalist was not guilty of publishing the photo because the photo was published by the editor-in-chief of Pištaljka, Vladimir Radomirović, as the editor said in court during his testimony. The court also ordered Vladimir Antić to pay the Pištaljka journalist the court costs of the proceedings, and the amount will be determined later in a special decision.
Pištaljka will have access to the verdict, which Antić has the right to appeal, when the verdict is delivered, which the judge announced will be at the very end of the year.
As a reminder, Vladimir Antić previously sued Pištaljka because they published that the World Rowing Federation had also pointed out shortcomings in the work of the Rowing Federation twice before suspending the federation. The trial in this case is still ongoing before the Higher Court in Belgrade.
During the trial, it was clear that the goal of the lawsuits against Pištaljka and its journalist was to intimidate journalists, but also whistleblowers who pointed out the illegal management of the Rowing Federation of Serbia. At the hearings, Antić used the opportunity to talk about the whistleblower represented by Pištaljka's legal team, to ask questions about the whistleblower and the whistleblower's actions, as well as to try to discredit the whistleblower.
Pištaljka thanks everyone for their support, especially colleagues from the media and whistleblowers.
Read the original article here.