ANEM ALARM: Attack on journalist and president of the ANEM Board of Directors, Veran Matić, in front of the National Assembly of Serbia.

Matić was attacked while he was recording a public gathering of several dozen citizens who were wearing hats with white ribbons. Although he was not aware of the reasons for the gathering, he assessed that it was a public interest event, and in order to inform the public, he took several photographs and recordings.

As he was moving towards the stairs leading to the main entrance of the National Assembly, an unknown young man approached him to prevent him from recording and forcibly snatched the phone from his hand. The unknown man did not react to Matić's assertion that he was a journalist and that he should return the phone.

His phone was only returned after a man known to Matić as the leader of a former fan group, Alkatraz, issued an order for the phone to be returned. This man is Đorđe Prelić, known as Preli. In a brief conversation, Prelić told Matić that his reporting on TV B92 had ruined his life. The journalist believes he was referring to the series "Insajder" which was once aired on that television.

After retrieving his phone, Matić reported the incident to the security present in the National Assembly building. A security officer informed him that he had not noticed the incident and directed him to report the case to the police. The incident was reported at the Stari Grad Police Station on Majke Jevrosime Street.

ANEM expresses deep concern for the safety of Veran Matić and demands an urgent response from the relevant authorities. ANEM underscores the fact that Matić has been subjected to a sinister campaign for several months, which was initiated by the President of Serbia with the words: "It would be good for those who were arrested, detained, and convicted because of Veran Matić to have that wiped from the records – if he is so nice to people – and for it to be as if they had never been punished. And for him to kindly bring them whiskey or a bottle of wine to their home and apologize for the fact that people served time because of him, innocent and undeserving."

The announced proposal and call from the President of the Republic received development in the supposedly documentary film "Evil Era 2: The Birth of Propaganda," produced by the Center for Social Stability. With this repeatedly aired film, as well as articles and publications in the media that professionally and privately discredit Matić with falsehoods that he is a foreign agent, a traitor to his country, and embezzler of vast sums of money – Matić's safety has become and remains increasingly at risk. A criminal complaint has been filed with the competent prosecutor's office, but it has gone unanswered.

ANEM reminds of the danger posed to Matić and emphasizes that the attack on him must not be treated outside the context of the campaign that has been conducted against journalists for some time. Serbia has long been a country where journalists are judged and sentenced in the dark.

**Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)**

*The project "Improvement of the system of prevention and response mechanisms in cases of threats to the safety and life of journalists in Serbia" is being implemented by ANEM in collaboration with partners Insajder TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.*