ANEM ALARM: Journalist of Revolt Lazar Dinić, who was seriously injured on March 29, has successfully undergone surgery and is recovering.
On Good Friday, while eggs are being dyed, it is important to remember the victims. During an attack by the ruling party's thugs, who targeted them specifically, there was an attempted murder of journalist Lazar Dinić and severe beating of photographer Zorica Popović and journalist Ivan Bjelić in Šarbanovac near Bor, while they were professionally covering the local elections on March 29.
This monstrous event, filled with violence, torture, humiliation, dehumanization, persecution, and blows that could have led to the murder of Lazar Dinić, along with threats involving axes, occurred just about ten days ago, and it seems as if everything has been forgotten.
Lazar Dinić underwent surgery yesterday at the Clinic for Maxillofacial Surgery. The doctors say it was successful. He is recovering from the operation and feels as well as can be expected. He is unable to see out of one eye. In addition to physical injuries, there are also psychological wounds from which Lazar, Zorica, and Ivan will take a long time to heal.
All three provided detailed statements to the competent prosecutor of the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Bor, Saša Milošević, as well as to police officers. Since they are journalists, they were able to investigate the attackers and the vehicles they arrived in. They identified several attackers and supported this with recordings from the scene. They have facilitated the work of both the police and the prosecutor.
The prosecutor announced that all the information he received has been compiled into a request for the collection of information for the operational officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), and he expects them to carry out investigative actions, verify and confirm the obtained information, and convert it into a criminal complaint. In the meantime, the prosecutor will commission an assessment of the injuries, diagnoses, and health conditions in order to clearly define the criminal offense.
“This is a priority case not only for the media community but also for the entire public in Serbia. The attempted murder and severe violence that Zorica, Lazar, and Ivan have suffered are a precursor to even greater violence that could result in fatalities. If there is no successful and efficient investigation, and there are already numerous pieces of information based on which arrests could follow, this could only encourage the perpetrators to escalate their actions, turning an attempt at murder into actual murder. Two days ago, we marked 32 years since the death of Dada Vujasinović; tomorrow we will mark 27 years since the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija, and in a few days we will commemorate 19 years since the attempted murder of the journalist Dejan Anastasijević's family. Although Dejan himself investigated the attempt on his life thoroughly, the police did not, and Dejan paid a high price for that attempt on his life with his premature death. The murder of Ćuruvija was resolved with two first-instance verdicts totaling 100 years in prison and a verdict of acquittal that was more of an amnesty than a ruling by the Appeals Court. The Supreme Court of Serbia also established drastic violations committed by the panel in favor of the acquitted.”
We call on the authorities to stop the violence that occurs daily against citizens, to identify and sanction the perpetrators. For the past two years, we have seen almost complete impunity regarding attacks on journalists. On the contrary, perpetrators are being promoted in society and hold positions in the public sector.
We call on the European Commission to sanction authorities that do not work towards improving the rule of law, those who have completely dismantled the legal system in favor of organized crime and perpetrators.
The violence against journalists and the drastic suppression of media as it is currently happening in Serbia reminds us of the worst years of Milošević's rule when the Minister of Information was the current President of Serbia. We must not allow a “seen before” scenario that ended with the brutal suppression of media and the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija. I invite the citizens of Serbia to join us in remembering this murder at the crime scene on Svetogorska Street number 35 at 12 noon,” stated Veran Matić, President of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists.
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
The project “Enhancement of the mechanism for prevention and response in cases of threats to the safety and life of journalists in Serbia” is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insider TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.
