ANEM ALARM: Another physical attack by police officers on journalist Žarko Bogosavljević.

Bogosavljević further shouted that he is a journalist and that a police officer in a phantom mask is breaking the law by physically attacking a journalist, demanding identification and documents in order to file a report – but the member of the intervention unit refused. Žarko Bogosavljević also addressed an unmasked police superior with the prominent surname Vasović, demanding that the officer who was pushing him roughly identify himself and provide information for the report, which the aforementioned superior refused.

“Since the beginning of the year, Žarko Bogosavljević has been attacked in similar, and even more aggressive, ways more than 30 times, despite the fact that he is always clearly marked as a journalist. He has extensive experience and 'security culture', ensuring that he does not provoke attacks himself - which indicates that journalists have become targets not only for aggressors but also for the police,” stated Veran Matić, President of the Management Board of ANEM and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists.

Since the beginning of August to date, there have been over 20 recorded police attacks on female and male journalists, and none have been sanctioned so far.

ANEM calls on the relevant authorities in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and especially the commanders of intervention units, to stop physically and in any other way jeopardizing the safety of journalists, to respect the law, and to protect journalists while they perform their very important and, it turns out, increasingly dangerous job of informing the public about matters of public significance.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "System for Preventing Violence and Protecting Journalists" is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insider TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with support from the European Union and the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia.

The OSCE Mission in Serbia has supported ANEM's project "24/7 SOS Helpline for Journalists and Other Threatened Media Workers," as part of the EU-funded project "Strengthening Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in Serbia."