Testimony of journalist Blagoj Sersemov regarding the defamation lawsuit filed against him
A defamation and non-material damage lawsuit was filed against journalist Blagoj Sersemov from Štip by a company in the country with foreign ownership. The Basic Court in Štip issued a ruling ordering him to pay 60,000 denars in compensation for content published on his Facebook profile, even though no evidence of damage was presented during the trial. The case represents a classic example of a SLAPP lawsuit, and the decision is now expected to be reviewed by the Court of Appeals.
What is concerning is that, instead of encouraging investigative journalism, the message being sent is that any critical assessment of influential business interests can be sanctioned.
Regarding this case, we share below the testimony of our colleague Sersemov:
“While investigating the topic of payday loans, I uncovered serious abuses – citizens were paying enormous interest rates, and when they could not repay the debt, companies would send people to their homes or workplaces, often using intimidation methods. An additional problem arose when the company ‘National Collection Agency’ was formed, whose name deliberately creates the impression that it is a state institution.
After my public posts on M Net TV and Facebook, I received a pre-lawsuit warning demanding that I withdraw the articles and publicly apologize. I refused, convinced that this was a SLAPP lawsuit aimed at silencing me. Although my criticism was directed at the company that established the agency, not the agency itself, the court issued a ruling against me, ignoring the evidence I submitted” – testifies Blagoj Sersemov.
