"Rundschau" sees no reason to cooperate with Uri judiciary
In the case against a bar owner accused of two homicides, the SRF program «Rundschau» is refusing to hand over documents to the Uri Cantonal Court of Appeals. In a statement released Tuesday, SRF cited editorial confidentiality as the reason for this decision.
The bar owner is accused by the public prosecutor's office in Uri of shooting a guest and setting a hitman on his wife at the time. The guest was unharmed, the wife was seriously injured. The "Rundschau" had reported several times on the proceedings, which were not without their hitches. The High Court demanded that the editors of the program hand over all the documents they had on the guest and the legally convicted contract shooter. It justified the demand by stating that it needed to obtain as complete a picture as possible of the facts of the case during the ongoing deliberations on the verdict.
SRF refuses to hand over the documents. The high court's demand violates the constitutionally guaranteed editorial secrecy. The documents are not necessary for the court to establish the truth. The "Rundschau" is not there to complete neglected investigations. It was left to the court authorities to question suspects and request files through official channels. The high court's request contradicts SRF's constitutional, legal and licensing mandate. The High Court of Uri had not yet received an official submission from SRF by Tuesday, as a court spokeswoman said on request. However, the court has taken note of the media release and is incorporating it into its deliberations, the spokesperson said.
In October, during the hearing before the High Court, the "Rundschau" newspaper revealed that the guest who was allegedly shot by the bar owner had since died in France. The guest, who should have been questioned again as an important witness, was officially untraceable for the Uri judiciary. The defense lawyer accused the public prosecutor's office of using possibly unlawful means to prevent the witness from being questioned again.
The "Rundschau" also broadcast an interview with the man who was convicted of being a contract shooter. In the interview, he said that the bar owner was innocent and the victim of a conspiracy and that a third man had shot the woman. The name of the third man was not made public in the report. (SDA)
