ANEM ALARM: In the first half of the year, the prosecution has opened 45 percent more cases due to attacks on journalists.

This represents a 45 percent increase compared to the same period last year, which was a record year for attacks on media workers.

The trend observed over the past two years has continued: in the first six months of this year, the police did not respond to the prosecutor's requests for information gathering regarding reported threats and attacks on journalists in 28 cases. In five of those cases, the police did not act even after the prosecutor's urgencies.

In only one case did the prosecutor file an indictment.

In 17 cases, the prosecutor dismissed the criminal complaint or prepared an official note stating that there were no grounds for initiating criminal proceedings.

Regarding physical attacks on female journalists, male journalists, and photojournalists during the local elections in the vicinity of Bor and in Bajina Bašta, evidentiary actions are still being conducted, including medical examinations. Members of the police departments have not yet identified the perpetrators, despite numerous video recordings and presented evidence that clearly show some of the attackers, whose identities are known.

In 11 cases, the police have collected the necessary information and are awaiting a decision from the competent prosecutor. In two cases, the perpetrators have been identified, and evidentiary actions are ongoing.

In the case of the threatening letter received by N1 journalist Danica Vučenic, a DNA analysis has been conducted, and a response is awaited regarding the request for international legal assistance sent to Slovenia, from where the threatening letter was sent.

“The escalation of threats and attacks on journalists, including attempted murder, especially during the electoral process, seriously concerns the media community. Even more alarming is the increasingly pronounced violence against civil society activists, student movements, and all citizens who think differently.

No one has yet been held accountable this year for threats and attacks on journalists. When the data for the past two and a half years are summed up, out of a total of 279 open cases in the prosecutor's offices, only in ten cases was any judicial measure imposed. This means that only 3.6 percent of cases have been resolved, which clearly shows that impunity for attacks on journalists is nearly complete.

Since the beginning of the year, four female and male journalists have been forced to leave Serbia due to serious threats to their own safety and that of their families. This has increased the total number of media representatives currently living in exile to six.

We express solidarity with our colleagues and once again call on the political leadership of Serbia to stop targeting, defaming, insulting, and endangering the safety of journalists and newsrooms. We also call on the relevant institutions, primarily the police and the prosecutor's office, which are funded by all citizens of this country, to effectively identify the perpetrators and prosecute those responsible for violence against journalists.

We urge representatives of the international community, especially the European Commission and the OSCE, to find a way to protect journalists in Serbia, who today work in one of the most difficult and dangerous environments for journalistic work in Europe,” stated Veran Matić, 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 Coordinator of the Safe Line for Journalists.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "Enhancement of the System Mechanism for Prevention and Response in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Life of Female and Male Journalists in Serbia" is 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 in Serbia has supported ANEM's project "24/7 SOS Hotline for Assistance to Journalists and Other Threatened Media Workers," as part of the EU-funded project "Strengthening Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in Serbia."