ANEM ALARM: The unacceptable equating of the journalist victim and the attacker by the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Vranje.
More than six months ago, in front of numerous witnesses, during the course of journalistic work and reporting on a fire in front of the Meteris landfill near Vranje, the director of JKP "Komrad," Zoran Dimitrijević, physically attacked journalist Jelena Stojković from Večernje novosti by grabbing her arm and seizing her mobile phone with which she was recording the event. Visible bruises were noted in the medical report. The attack on the journalist was reported to the competent prosecutor's office. The public nature of the event and the presence of numerous witnesses constituted grounds for the urgent and efficient conduct of investigative actions and the filing of charges.
However, the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Vranje is delaying the proceedings and then accepts a counterclaim from the perpetrator. This merges two different proceedings—criminal charges for physical assault and a defamation claim filed by the accused attacker—without legal justification, with an obvious intent to dilute and prolong the process. Instead of an urgent response and indictment, there is still no end in sight to this case even after six months.
Veran Matić, a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists and a contact point representing journalistic associations, has requested the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Vranje, Danijela Trajković, to conduct oversight of the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in this matter, citing violations of the General Binding Instructions of the Supreme Public Prosecutor in cases where the safety of journalists is at risk, as well as non-compliance with the Regulations on the Administration in Public Prosecutor's Offices, particularly regarding the urgency of proceedings and efficiency of work.
The petition proposed that, after establishing the factual situation through oversight of the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office, the separation of cases be ordered, and that in the case of the attack on journalist Jelena Stojković, proceedings be conducted exclusively in accordance with the Mandatory Instructions of the Supreme Public Prosecutor.
In a statement, Veran Matić emphasized that "the city authorities in Vranje continuously obstruct the decisions of their own competent bodies and judicial authorities. In cases of threats and violent behavior towards employees of OK Radio in Vranje, two convictions with prison sentences against Dejan Nikolić Kantar were issued in record time, but even after nearly four years, the city authorities have not demolished the illegal structure that has blocked the premises of this media house. This represents a direct obstruction of justice and a permanent victimization of employees at OK Radio. The same pattern is repeating now, as the director of the public enterprise physically attacks a journalist. Instead of an effective investigation, the obvious obstruction, which is accepted by the competent prosecutor through their decisions, delays the realization of justice and the sanctioning of the perpetrator."
"The shining example of effective and independent work of the prosecutor's office and the court in Vranje in the case of violence against OK Radio is now being compromised by incomprehensible decisions from the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office. We urge prosecutors to act in accordance with the law, regulations, and mandatory instructions and to maintain a level of courageous and professional engagement in the Vranje case," Matić stated.
Journalist Jelena Stojković, in addition to the consequences of the attack itself, has been suffering from the effects of secondary victimization for more than six months, caused not only by the behavior of the perpetrator but also by the actions of the competent prosecutor's office.
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
The project “System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists” is conducted by ANEM in partnership with Insider TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.
