08. 10. 2007

UNACCEPTABLE ATTACKS ON MEDIA IN NOVI PAZAR

BELGRADE, October 8, 2007 – Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) most strenuously protests on the occasion of attacks against stations in Novi Pazar, TV “Jedinstvo”, its member and Regionalna Televizija, ensuing the latest rifts within the Islamic Religious Community.

Last night the premises of the Regionalna Televizija and TV “Jedinstvo” in Novi Pazar were broken in by unknown attackers almost simultaneously, during the broadcast of an interview with Adem Zilkic, head of Islamic Community in Serbia. The interview was pre-recorded, and according to the agreement reached by senior editors of the two outlets, it was aired simultaneously on the two televisions. A security guard in the Regionalna TV Novi Pazar, Fehim Bandzovic, was seriously injured when one of the attackers tried to force their way into the station during the interview broadcast. Almost at the same time, around 9:30 PM, another masked and armed attacker forced his way into the premises of TV “Jedinstvo”, pointed a gun at the programme producer and kept striking the equipment with a wooden club until it stopped the broadcast. Media have also reported that Ramiz Etemovic, an editor with TV Jedinstvo, got injured during this attack.

ANEM considers each attempt at limiting the freedom to public information absolutely unacceptable, and seriously condemns the physical attacks on journalists and editorial committees who are doing their job of informing the general public about the issues they are entitled to be informed about. The existing rifts within the Islamic Community can certainly be defined as an example of such issues.

ANEM demands that relevant institutions and bodies immediately undertake all activities and measures at their disposal to identify and bring charges against the attackers on Novi Pazar based media organizations, but also to ensure all the necessary conditions for unobstructed work of all journalists, both in Novi Pazar and other towns in Serbia, and fully guarantee uninterrupted flow of ideas, information and thoughts.

ANEM particularly appeals to all media and journalists' associations to openly show their solidarity with TV “Jedinstvo” and Regionalna Televizija in Novi Pazar, but also with all the other media outlets and journalists that are subjected and exposed to pressures, threats and attacks because of their job.

 
Sasa Mirkovic,

ANEM Chairman