ANEM ALARM: Three weeks without police response to the attempted murder of a journalist in Bor
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) notes that three weeks have passed since the brutal attack and attempted murder of journalists on election day, March 29, in the village of Šarbanovac near Bor. There are video recordings and photographs of the assailants who were abusing journalists during the local elections, as well as images of their jeep and van, and the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Bor has not yet filed charges for this organized attack.
An investigation has been initiated, but there is still no information about what the police have done at the request of the prosecution. After the testimony of the beaten freelance photojournalist Zorica Popović, as well as the activists and journalists from the Revolt portal, Ivan Bjelić and Lazar Dinić, who ended up in the emergency room with serious injuries, the responsible prosecutor Saša Milošević issued an additional request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the collection of information following new data and evidence received.
Milošević told Cenzolovka that he has submitted a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to identify the perpetrators of the criminal acts, whom he accuses of violence and causing serious bodily harm. He confirms that Ivan Bjelić provided a CD with video recordings and photographs, which the prosecution forwarded to the Police Administration of Bor to identify the assailants and file charges with the prosecution.
The attacked journalists confirmed to Cenzolovka that they provided Milošević with recordings showing the attackers, their vehicles, and the clear license plate number.
ANEM demands that the Ministry of Internal Affairs urgently identify the attackers based on available information and evidence in order to prosecute them for the brutal violence and attempted murder of young journalists covering the local elections on March 29.
“The journalists and the photojournalist have provided sufficient evidence for the identification and prosecution of the assailants. This drastic case of endangerment of journalists' and media workers' safety while performing their duties must not be delayed or go unpunished, as in such a case, the authorities would show that attempts to murder professional journalists are permissible and would thus be directly complicit in this crime. The speed of resolving this case is of utmost importance to prevent such a situation from becoming normalized and to send a clear message that in a democratic and civilized state, everyone must be held accountable for attempted murder and brutal physical assaults,” stated Veran Matić, President of the Management Board of ANEM, member of the Standing Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and operator of the Safe Line for Journalists 0800 100 115.
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
The project “Improvement of the system of mechanisms for prevention and response in cases of threats to the safety and life of female and male journalists in Serbia” is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insajder TV and the Center for 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 endangered media workers,” as part of the project funded by the European Union “Strengthening Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in Serbia.”
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