ANEM ALARM: The police allowed the assailants to prevent gatherings and attack journalists, instead of securing the reported event in Pirot.

In addition to demonstrating violence and threats, hooligans and members of extreme right-wing organizations, unhindered by the police, aggressively prevented journalists from reporting. With threats of physical violence, insults, and intimidation, journalist Sara Stanojković from Tampon Zone and journalist Aleksandar Đokić from the Mašina portal were hindered from reporting freely for their newsrooms.

During the reporting, the N1 news crew was also attacked. The newsroom faced severe insults and was pelted with various objects while working, and journalist Gordana Bjeletić was hit in the head by a tomato. The police officers present did not react in any way to these attacks nor did they prevent the obstruction of journalists in their work. The attack was reported to the Police Station in Pirot.

We demand that the competent prosecutor's office, in cooperation with the police, identify and prosecute the perpetrators.

Shortly before the start of the gathering, police officers informed the organizer of the Pride Caravan, the association "Da se zna," that the reported event was banned.

"Instead of securing the announced event, the police were protecting the aggressors, allowing chants that represent calls to murder, as well as threats and hate speech. Instead of preventing attacks on journalists and enabling them to report freely, the police officers present allowed the aggressors to attack journalists without interference, threatening them, obstructing camera lenses, and driving them away from public spaces under threat. The Internal Control Sector of the Ministry of Interior must determine accountability for such illegal and unconstitutional actions by the management of the Police Administration in Pirot," stated Veran Matić, a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, President of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), and operator of the Safe Line for Journalists 0800 100 115.

Previously, following the announcement of the Pride Caravan in Vranje, the editorial team of Slobodna reč received brutal threats, with announcements that the event would be prevented. Despite this, the gathering in Vranje took place without interference.

The ban on peaceful gatherings that promote equality, dignity, and peace, while simultaneously allowing ultra-right organizations and hooligans to perpetrate violence, shows that Serbia is increasingly becoming a state of lawlessness and violence.

We call on the relevant institutions, especially the police, to carry out their legally mandated duties: to protect citizens, prevent violence, and enable journalists to perform their work freely, so that the public can be timely and accurately informed.

Additionally, the High-Tech Crime Prosecutor's Office has been notified of another threat directed through the Instagram account of the Association of Independent Electronic Media, which was aimed at Branislav Šovljanski, the news director of N1 TV. The threat was sent from the account "lesicslobodan," which frequently issues brutal threats against journalists. We appeal to the prosecutor's office to identify and prosecute repeat offenders who often threaten on social media as soon as possible to prevent endangering the safety of journalists.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "Improving the System for Prevention and Response Mechanisms in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Lives 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.

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