ANEM: Obvious and documented physical attacks on journalists remain unpunished.
Another physical assault, the attack on cameraman Mirko Todorović from Juronjuz television, on November 5, 2024, in Novi Sad, will remain unpunished, as public prosecutor Sanja Skakavac from the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad dismissed the criminal complaint for violent behavior in a public place.
The attack occurred in front of the offices of the Serbian Progressive Party, following a speech by President Aleksandar Vučić. While filming the event, the cameraman was thrown to the ground in a wrestling maneuver by an assailant, later identified as Vuk Raonić, a close associate of the current mayor of Novi Sad.
Despite clear evidence, numerous witnesses, journalists, and recordings, and the disturbance this event caused, the prosecution stated that it is not a criminal offense that is prosecuted ex officio.
An appeal will be lodged against the prosecution's decision.
Award-winning investigative journalist Vuk Cvijić from Radar was physically attacked last year in downtown Belgrade, punched in the face by Milan Lađević, the director of the tabloid Srpski Telegraf, also in front of numerous witnesses and surveillance cameras in the area. Six months after the incident, the prosecution received a report from the Ministry of Interior confirming this, but similarly dismissed the criminal complaint.
Uglješa Bokić, a journalist for several outlets, was physically attacked in Novi Sad on June 2, and the outcome was the same. The same assailant appeared in Niš alongside the attacker of journalist Tamara Radovanović from Južne vesti. This incident was also not prosecuted.
In all these cases, the victims, as well as the media community, are not convinced that the prosecution has done everything possible to identify evidence that would allow the criminal offense of "violent behavior" to be prosecuted.
This practice also highlights the need to amend part of the criminal code that currently does not sanction this type of physical assault.
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) calls on the prosecution to make an additional effort to uncover the true nature of the attack on colleague Todorović, so that the assailant Raonić can be held accountable. Otherwise, a high position in the government awaits him. This sends a signal to assailants that attacks on female and male journalists are a legitimate path to career advancement.
Veran Matić, President of the ANEM Board and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists
The project "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists" 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 and the Balkan Fund for Democracy.
