25. 03. 2009

ANEM STRONGLY CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON "STUDIO B" CREW AND RTS CAMERAMAN

Belgrade, March 25, 2009 – Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly condemns attacks on the crew from the Belgrade TV station "Studio B" and RTS' cameraman, who were reporting on the protest organized by right-wing organizations on the occasion of 10th anniversary of NATO bombardment on Tuesday, March 24 in Belgrade.

The "Studio B" journalist, Igor Kosut, said that three young people verbally and physically attacked him as well as the cameraman, Milos Petrovic, and the assistant, Aleksandar Bombek. After giving reply to one of the attackers, who asked them which TV station they belonged to, Bombek received several blows into the stomach, while in the ensuing fighting, after the attackers were joined by several others, the cameraman, Milos Petrovic, was also hit. Trying to grab the equipment away from the crew, the attackers broke several pieces of TV equipment. RTS cameraman was also attacked and hit by two young men while the crew was passing through the crowd trying to leave the protest at the Republic Square.

ANEM points out that protests organized by right-wing organizations in Belgrade, regardless of their reasons, always turn into systematic threatening of journalists and camera crews and silencing of the media, with the aim to create an atmosphere of fear which would prevent the media from informing the public on the issues of public interest.

ANEM confirms its unequivocal support for those who are exposed to threats and attacks because of their work in the media field, and calls on the officials to investigate each case of attacks on the journalists and their crews, to inform the public on the results of such investigations, and to prosecute the perpetrators, as well as the organizers and instigators, of systematic threats to the media and suppression of the freedom of expression.

ANEM President, Sasa Mirkovic