ANEM wrote to the Mayor of Vranje regarding the attack on the journalist from Novosti and the issues faced by OK Radio
The President of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, Veran Matić, sent a letter on August 11 to the City of Vranje, Mayor Slobodan Milenković, and the Head of the City Administration Dušan Aratonović regarding the violence perpetrated by the director of Public Utility Company "Komrad," Zoran Dimitrijević, against the journalist of Večernje Novosti, Jelena Stojković, during the performance of her journalistic duties, as well as concerning the demolition of an illegally constructed facility that had obstructed part of the premises of OK Radio.
A response to this letter has not yet been received.
The letter addressed to the city officials in Vranje is transmitted in its entirety:
“Please inform me of the actions taken by the City Administration regarding the prevention of journalistic work and physical violence against the journalist of Večernje Novosti, Jelena Stojković, which was committed on July 21 of this year by the director of JKP 'Komrad,' Zoran Dimitrijević, during her reporting on the fire at the Meteris landfill.
The incident involved preventing the recording, twisting the journalist's arm, and confiscating her mobile phone, which was only returned after protests from the present citizens. This occurred in the presence of the mayor, who did not react to the actions of the city administration official.
I have been informed that Dimitrijević will be questioned at the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in the capacity of a suspect for the criminal offense of violent behavior under Article 344, paragraph 2, in conjunction with paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.
All relevant domestic and international journalist associations have reacted to this attack. Given that the mayor himself was a witness to the violence, the media community expected a condemnation of such violent behavior.
Furthermore, I ask you to inform me why the illegally constructed building, which has blocked part of the premises of OK radio in Vranje, has not yet been demolished, despite a decision by the competent authorities for demolition being made in June 2022.
I remind you that in the meantime, Dejan Nikolić Kantar was sentenced to 14 months in prison, and subsequently to an additional 18 months for violent behavior and endangering the safety of the owner and employees of OK radio, and that he has served his sentence.
Stefan Ilić, the responsible person for the illegal construction, was sentenced to one year of conditional imprisonment (for three years), along with a fine of 400,000 dinars, while the legal entity he represents was fined five million dinars.
The prosecutor's office, court, and police in Vranje have completed their part of the work in record time, while the City Administration has been avoiding the demolition of the illegal structure for more than three years. Please provide a detailed explanation of the reasons why the building has not yet been demolished and inform me when the demolition will take place,” states the letter from Veran Matić.
On this occasion, Veran Matić and ANEM will meet on Tuesday, August 19, with the journalist of Večernje Novosti, Jelena Stojković, to support her following the attack by the director of JKP Komrad, discuss with representatives of local media about the safety of journalists in the region, and visit the editorial offices of OK radio in Vranje and Jugpress in Leskovac, which operate under pressure, threats, and are in a difficult financial situation.
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
The project "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists" is 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 Democracy Fund.
