ANEM ALARM: Unknown individuals continue to disrupt the work of journalists with threats in front of the National Assembly of Serbia, while the police protect them.
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) calls on representatives of the police not to obstruct the work of journalists reporting in front of the National Assembly of Serbia and to allow the media to safely carry out their work from that public space.
During yesterday, specifically after journalist Mašina attempted to report on the situation in front of the National Assembly, where a passage was open for the movement of citizens, unknown men did not allow her to exit the enclosed area and demanded that she delete her recordings.
After she tried to obtain police protection on the spot to facilitate her movement, the police officers asked to see her recordings and instructed her to delete them. Representatives of the police told her that she had no right to record individuals without authorization and then publish it somewhere, clearly aiming to protect the identities of those obstructing the freedom of movement of citizens in front of the Assembly of Serbia and especially journalists from doing their jobs. However, journalist Mašina refused to delete the recordings and did not allow her phone to be confiscated, after which she left the enclosed space between the parliament and Pioneer Park.
That same morning, a similar situation was faced by a reporter from Nova S television. He attempted to verify the words of police director Dragan Vasiljević, who stated the previous day that he was “not sure” that journalists could not enter the tent camp near the Assembly, that it was a registered public gathering, and that it was not a “restricted zone in which anyone can enter under strictly controlled conditions.”
However, as soon as the reporter passed the barrier during a live broadcast, an unknown person wearing a cap stopped him and told him that he could not film there unannounced, even though he showed his press credentials. When the journalist asked whom and which email he should notify to report from this public gathering, he did not receive an answer and left the enclosed area. Not far from the scene, as recorded in the footage, three police officers were present, standing and observing this situation.
Two reporters from Danas experienced an identical situation about ten days ago when they were stopped by men residing in the so-called Ćaciland upon entering. They, as they stated, invoked the law, to which people from the tent area responded, “Forget the law, that's not important right now.”
“Don’t count the people, you are not accredited. You came here to provoke,” said an older man with a walkie-talkie, calling the Danas reporter a “fool.”
ANEM calls on the Minister of Internal Affairs and the police director to explain to the public why journalists are prohibited from accessing this part of the city and under which law the media require prior notification and permission to report from public spaces.
“We also ask why the police officers present do not react but instead protect and somehow assist the unknown individuals gathered in this tent settlement who conceal their identities. Is their task to protect journalists and citizens or suspicious individuals who prevent free movement through the center of Belgrade? We remind that it is the duty and obligation of the police to ensure the safe performance of work in the public interest in all public spaces, not to hinder journalists in their fieldwork. In the same area, 17 cases of physical attacks and removal of media representatives have been recorded so far, and the perpetrators and aggressors have yet to be sanctioned, even though most have been identified through media recordings,” stated Veran Matić, the president of the ANEM Board and a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists.
ANEM demands urgent responses from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and calls for accountability regarding all instances of police inaction and the failure to resolve cases of obstruction of journalists in their work.
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
The project "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists" is implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insajder TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union and the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia.
