ANEM ALARM: Police in front of the Pink building assaulted journalist Veselin Petrović.

“I was in close proximity to Pink Television where the police, equipped for breaking up demonstrations, intervened against the citizens. At one point, I noticed police officers pushing a woman near the Maxi store. I became concerned that the situation could escalate into physical violence, so I approached to record the event. At that moment, a police officer came up to me. I clearly told him that I was a journalist multiple times, approximately six or seven times. I had an identifiable press badge on my chest, which I raised to shoulder level when the officer approached me to clearly show him that I was a journalist. Despite this, the officer hit me twice with a shield. During that incident, my phone fell from my hand but fortunately continued recording. After that, the officer struck me on the head with an official baton, causing my glasses to fall off and break. While my phone was on the ground, the same officer stepped on it forcefully twice with his boot, probably intending to break it. After someone shouted something at him, he moved away and continued on,” Petrović told ANEM.

We remind you that any form of endangerment of journalists' safety is punishable by law. In light of the electoral victory of the Student List, we expect that the prosecution of those responsible for violence against journalists will be swift and effective, and that the systematic intimidation and punishment of critical media that the regime of Aleksandar Vučić has carried out for years will return to the legal framework within which any democratic society can function. The actions of the police in Petrović's case are particularly dangerous, ignoring the fact that he was performing his journalistic duties to inform the public.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project “Improvement of the Prevention and Response Mechanism in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Life of Journalists in Serbia” 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.