09. 03. 2012

ANEM PROTESTS AGAINST ATTACK ON TV SREMSKA JOURNALIST

Belgrade, 9 March 2012 - The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly condemns the attack on Danijela Romandic, a journalist of ANEM member from Sid, TV Sremska.

On 9 March in the morning, Danijela Romandic was verbally attacked and insulted by the head of the city Department of Education, Culture and Sport in Sremska Mitrovica, Zorica Gaspar. The attack was witnessed by journalists who report on the activities of the city administration of Sremska Mitrovica and officials of the local self-administration. The journalist had previously tried to verify the information about the alleged resignation of Ms. Gaspar with the deputy head of the city Department of Education, Culture and Sport, after which she was rudely attacked and insulted by Ms. Gaspar.

ANEM points out that the local self-government, its bodies and officials are obliged to make available to the public all information about their activities, and that insults and the verbal attack on the journalist who was only trying to verify information related to functioning of the local self-government constitute not only a brutal violation of this obligation, but a material violation of the public's right to be informed about the local self-government as well as a pressure on a media outlet and its staff and violation of the freedom of expression.

ANEM expresses its full solidarity with Danijela Romandic and TV Sremska from Sid, and demands that the officials in the Assembly of the City of Sremska Mitrovica, Mayor's Office and the City Council publicly denounce the act committed by the head of the city Department of Education, Culture and Sport and take other necessary steps to prevent similar attacks on journalists in the future.

ANEM President, Sasa Mirkovic