29. 09. 2014

ANEM CONDEMNS HOOLIGAN ATTACK ON RTV B92 BUILDING

Belgrade, September 29, 2014 - Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly condemns hooligan attack on the building of Radio Television B92, a member of ANEM.

A group of some 30 hooligans attacked the B92 building and the police securing the building on Sunday. Two policemen were injured in the attack in which pyrotechnic and inflammable devices, torches and smoke bombs were used. The attack happened after B92 reported during the day from the Belgrade Pride and after it featured a series of programs on the Pride on its radio, television and web site.  The B92 statement regarding the attack points out that there has hardly been an incident in Belgrade and in Serbia in which B92 was not one of the targets of hooligans and extremists. Precisely because of threats and earlier attacks, the B92 building has been under police protection for more than 10 years, and two of its journalists have been under constant police protection for more than 5 years now, it is said in the statement.

ANEM points out that the function of the media in a democratic society is to open space for continuous debate on matters of public interest and to reflect pluralist nature of the society. ANEM is deeply convinced that violence as a model of communication in a society is unacceptable, and that violence targeted at a media organization simply because it opens space for different opinions in public debate and advocates for respect of differences and human rights, in accordance with the role that media generally have in a society, is particularly unacceptable.

ANEM expresses its full solidarity with colleagues from B92 and asks from responsible authorities to identify those responsible for the attack and to prosecute them without delay.

ANEM President, Milorad Tadic