Hamburg court bans Der Spiegel from publishing allegations of Vucic's involvement in "Sarajevo safari"

BELGRADE - In a temporary measure, a Hamburg court has banned Germany's Der Spiegel magazine from continuing to publish and disseminate allegations creating a suspicion of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's involvement in an alleged "human safari" during a wartime siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, the Presidency of Serbia said on Friday.

The court concluded that the basic legal standards had not been met for making accusations of such seriousness, especially in terms of the obligation of careful verification of facts.

"This decision represents an important confirmation that, also in the case of politically prominent figures, there are clear standards of responsible and professional reporting, especially when it comes to grave and unfounded accusations that can seriously endanger one's reputation," said a statement signed by presidential media adviser Suzana Vasiljevic.

President Vucic will continue to protect his right to the truth and to legal protection in all domestic and international institutions, the statement added.

President Vucic expressly advocates that light on all war crimes and other serious criminal offences be fully shed in court, as is self-understood in rule-of-law states, the statement noted.

"For that very reason, it is necessary that accusations of such seriousness are not disseminated based on unfounded suspicions and, in view of the reporting by Der Spiegel, the president was forced to take legal action against a report like this one to prevent further damage to his person and to the Republic of Serbia," said the statement, which noted that the allegations had resulted in a first-ever lawsuit filed against a media outlet on behalf of President Vucic.