24. 07. 2008

B92 STATEMENT - B92 CAMERAMAN ATTACKED DURING TODAY'S PRO-KARADZIC PROTESTS

Belgrade, July 24, 2008 - B92 TV cameraman was injured today by demonstrators gathered to protest the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. 

Bosko Brankovic is suffering from a fractured leg, doctors at the Belgrade Emergency Center said and he is being hospitalized. The third day of protests, that gathered several hundred people earlier on Thursday, ended at 18:30 CET.

The demonstrators, mostly coming from nationalist organizations and helped by the Radicals (SRS), went for a protest walk that included a stop at the Turkish Embassy where firecrackers were thrown, and in front of President Boris Tadić's office, where they shouted insults.   

RDP B92 strongly condemns the incident and asks the authorities to identify and punish the perpetrators. Brankovic was attacked when he tried to film the mob assaulting a FoNet photographer, it has emerged.   The incident took place near police officers who did not react. The cameraman has suffered a broken leg under and torn ligaments in his knee.   

B92 is calling on all professional associations and colleagues to join us in condemnation of this incident.  After all, B92 points out that the freedom of public protest has its legal limitations, clearly stated in the Constitution, so it is not allowed to use this freedom of gathering for the purpose of abuse, bringing into danger journalists’ lives and destroying their equipment.