Announcements

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) strongly condemn the threats made against TV N1 journalist Mladen Savatović, which were directed at him on October 2nd in Nikola Pašić Square while he was on a work assignment. Savatović was waiting to go live on N1 television when a man approached him and said, “You’re lucky I’m with my wife, next time I’ll break your head.” After briefly stepping away, the man returned to Savatović and added, “I fought for this country, and you are destroying it. Be careful.” He then headed towards Pioneer Park.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) warns that the police detained the editor of Radio Dira from Ruma, Jovan Kerešić, at the police station for four hours during a visit by a member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and former president Aleksandar Vučić to that location.

Vladimir Stojanović, charged with making threats against the editorial team of Jugpress from Leskovac and editor Ljiljana Stojanović, has been sentenced to a one-year suspended prison sentence. The judge of the Higher Court in Belgrade, Dragomir Gerasimović, announced at the hearing in Belgrade, which the convicted individual did not attend, that the suspended sentence would not be enforced if Stojanović does not commit a new criminal offense during the three-year probation period, along with a prohibition on approaching the editor of Jugpress within 200 meters and a ban on communication with her.

Written by Veran Matić, President of ANEM
 

Dozens of attacks on journalists in the enclosed, illegal, and unhygienic, parapolice camp in Pioneer Park, on the plateau in front of the National Assembly, have not had a judicial outcome. One of the few indictments was raised in the case of preventing journalist and editor of Insider TV, Nataša Mijušković, from performing her journalistic duties while she was subjected to coercion by the accused aggressor from the so-called Ćaciland.  

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) warns of a new bot attack on the Instagram account of the Mašina portal, which follows a pattern similar to the attacks that some independent professional media and civil society organizations were subjected to earlier this year. ANEM is now also recording bot attacks on social media accounts of local media during this period of intense pre-election campaigning. A mass influx of fake followers can lead to restrictions or even shutdowns of media accounts. ANEM has previously reported such attacks to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime, but to date, it is unknown who is behind them or if anyone has been held accountable.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) calls on citizens who are able to redirect part of the one-time assistance of 6,000 dinars to independent media, thus responding to the attempt to buy electoral votes and take control of the media in Serbia during the pre-election period by supporting free and professional journalism. Local independent editorial offices across Serbia are in a particularly difficult position and, despite pressures, threats, attacks, and financial problems, continue to work in the public interest. Therefore, ANEM has launched a Solidarity Fund for independent media aimed at supporting the editorial offices that are in greatest need of assistance to continue their work. 

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly condemns yet another cyber attack on the VranjeNews portal, which occurred shortly after reporting on the arrival of the student cycling tour in Vranje. Although the site is accessible to readers, the editorial team is unable to publish new news articles. This is the second cyber attack on VranjeNews since the beginning of the year.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) warns citizens and the media public that false and cloned portals have emerged, which automatically take content mainly from professional editorial offices and publish it on domains that can mislead the audience. The latest target of these attacks is the N1 portal. Prior to this, the site Vesti Vreme was created, which copies the name and visual identity of the weekly magazine Vreme.