Journalists’ Associations Condemn Attacks on Reporters During Local Elections

Cameramen(Beta/Armenija Zajmi Besevic)

Journalists’ associations condemned on Dec. 1 the attacks on, intimidation, and obstruction of media workers during the elections in Negotin, Mionica, and Secanj, calling for an urgent investigation and sanctions for those responsible.

According to the associations, those attacked included photojournalist Gavrilo Andric, a correspondent for the television channel Nova, reporters from the student media outlet Blokada Info, and journalists from the portals Masina, Za Medije, NG, and TV Njuzmaks Balkans. During their reporting, they were pushed, insulted, had their phones seized, and some were even hit.

The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) condemned the conduct of the police, which, they stated, failed to ensure safe working conditions for media workers.

“This pattern of police behavior is no longer an exception but rather the rule: police officers at the scene do not respond adequately when media workers and citizens are attacked, do not identify the perpetrators, do not file official reports, and do not approach suspicious groups that clearly act in coordination with the ruling structures,” NUNS said.

The Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS) said that the failure of the authorities to respond to attacks leads to “perpetrators feeling free to threaten and assault people, knowing they will face no consequences.”

“Given that this is not the first time or some isolated incident of this kind, and that we have dozens of examples where members of the police physically assaulted female and male journalists alike, as well as citizens, without any response to or resolution of these cases, we call on the interior minister and police officials to immediately resign, as they no longer have control over the service,” stated the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM).

The associations of journalists called on the authorities to punish those responsible for the attacks, and for the police to carry out an internal review over police conduct.