Verdict in Slavko Ćuruvija murder trial expected on Friday 5th April

The verdict in the trial for the murder of journalist and publisher Slavko Ćuruvija will be presented on Friday 5th April (not on 10th April, which we previously reported due to a technical error in the court's call).

An initial verdict will be announced six days ahead of the 20th anniversary of the murder of the owner of then publications Dnevni Telegraf and Evropljanin (Daily Telegraph and The European), who was gunned down in Belgrade on 11th April 1999.

The culmination of the trial saw closing statements delivered by the three accused high-ranking officials of the State Security Services (a fourth is being tried in absentia) and their lawyers, who sought an acquittal on all charges.

Meanwhile, the deputy prosecutor for organised crime asked the court to condemn all four defendants to the harshest possible prison sentence – incarceration for 40 years.