ANEM: Unacceptable discrimination against the editorial offices of Bečejski mozaik and Webinfo at the SNS gathering in Bačko Gradište.

According to reports, while they were filming the gathering, the provincial secretary for sports and youth, Dane Basta, approached the journalists and requested that they leave the area near the tent where members and supporters of the SNS were gathered. In a video published by Bečejski mozaik, Dane Basta can be heard saying: "Can I ask you something? This is a political party gathering, and you are part of the opposition." Kristina Demeter Filipčev, a journalist from Bečejski mozaik, corrected him by stating that she is not part of the opposition, but a journalist, and asked if the journalists could enter the gathering to report, to which Basta responded negatively.

Photography and reporting from the enclosed area were only permitted for certain journalists who had accreditations, while independent media were not even given the opportunity to get accredited.

We remind you that these two local media outlets from Bečej and Novi Bečej are often under pressure in their communities, have repeatedly been denied the ability to report professionally, and are frequently targets of labeling by local officials and politicians.

ANEM assesses that denying media the opportunity to report from events of public interest and removing them from such events is an unacceptable form of discrimination and pressure on media freedom. We remind that all journalists and media must be allowed to work freely and on an equal footing, especially when reporting on public events, in accordance with the principles of freedom of information and the public's right to be timely and objectively informed.

“We also remind that this year, at one such gathering, a cameraman from N1 television was beaten, and the assailant then sat next to the president of the SNS. At other similar events, such as recently in Dimitrovgrad, local journalists and media (editorial office of FAR) were denied access. We urge the leadership of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party to ensure equal treatment for all media and journalists in covering public events that they organize,” emphasized Veran Matić, president of the ANEM Board of Directors.

We call on all state institutions and officials, as well as political parties, to cease the discrimination and labeling of journalists and media and to allow everyone to report equally and safely from all public gatherings. We also demand that the relevant Ministry of Information and Telecommunications urgently respond in such situations, as this type of pressure on the media is unacceptable in a democratic society.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)