ANEM ALARM: The police pushed and obstructed the work of a journalist from the Pazovačke.rs portal.

The latest incident occurred on Tuesday, November 4, in the evening when the police did not allow journalist Ana Ubavić from the portal Pazovačke.rs to pass, striking her on the shoulder and pushing her, even though she had a clearly visible press badge.

This refers to the event when a bus belonging to Milomir Jaćimović was stopped at the intersection near the Faculty of Law in Belgrade, with a police cordon surrounding the vehicle. Ana Ubavić emphasized to ANEM that her press badge was clearly displayed and that she showed it to the police officers, but they did not allow her to approach, adding, "I don’t care that you are journalists; no one can pass." She further stated that one of the police officers then struck her on the shoulder and pushed her.

"This is not the first time that journalists from the portal Pazovačke.rs have been attacked by the police at public gatherings; my colleagues have already been struck with batons on their backs. At the aforementioned event in front of the Faculty of Law, I noticed that the police were very aggressive towards other journalists as well," said Ubavić.

ANEM once again reminds representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that it is their duty and obligation to protect female and male journalists in public spaces and to enable them to work freely in order to provide professional and objective information to the public.

Physical attacks by the police on media representatives are unacceptable, and we once again demand that the Internal Control Sector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs identify all police officers who behave in this manner and sanction them appropriately, so that similar incidents do not recur.

In 2025, we remind you, a record number of threats, pressures, and physical attacks on journalists was recorded, most of which remain unresolved, and instead of doing their job and protecting journalists, the police are joining the trend of increasing violence against the media, which is particularly concerning.

“We call on the highest state officials to react and publicly condemn the violence of the police against female and male journalists in Serbia, as well as any other form of violence and obstruction of media workers in their work, rather than spreading incendiary rhetoric and targeting media that report critically,” said Veran Matić, President of the ANEM Board, member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and operator of the Safe Line for Journalists 0800 100 115.

ANEM urges journalists, both female and male, and media representatives to report any kind of security threats they encounter while performing their work. All journalists have access to the toll-free number and direct line of ANEM at 0800 100 115, where media representatives can receive explanations about the legal treatment of offenses and the procedures that need to be initiated to report security threats to the relevant institutions, police, and prosecution.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "System for Preventing Violence and Protecting Journalists" is being 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.

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