Coalition for Media Freedom: Stop Attacks and Harassment of Journalists During the Election Campaign

The Coalition calls on all participants in the electoral campaign to clearly convey to their activists that attacks, intimidation, and obstruction of journalists are unacceptable, and urges the police and other relevant institutions to ensure a safe environment for their work.

An activist of the Serbian Progressive Party attacked and obstructed Aleksa Nikolić while he was reporting from an event in Niš, as seen in a video published on the Instagram page of Zoomer, the Coalition states. Nikolić and Tanja Dimitrijević were subjected to taunts and insults from those gathered at the SNS booth on several occasions, and one attendee showed the middle finger to the female journalist during the recording.

The SNS supporters' booths were located near the booth of the Student List. As Nikolić and Dimitrijević noted, the police did not respond to the insults and taunts directed at the journalists, while a cordon was later formed between the two groups gathered, the statement adds.

The Coalition warns that during the electoral campaign, unobstructed and safe reporting is particularly important so that citizens can receive truthful and timely information about the activities of all electoral participants. Journalists must have the opportunity to attend public gatherings, record, and ask questions without fear of attacks, insults, or obstruction.

Members of the Coalition call on the Serbian Progressive Party to condemn the actions of its activists and take measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. They also appeal to all other electoral participants to clearly explain to their members, activists, and supporters that they must respect the work of journalists, regardless of the media they come from and its editorial policy.

The Coalition states that it expects the police to respond promptly to attacks and obstruction of journalists, prevent escalation, and ascertain the circumstances of this incident. The presence of the police at gatherings must also include the protection of media workers who report on them.

They remind that obstructing journalists simultaneously jeopardizes the citizens' right to be informed. Political actors and relevant institutions have the responsibility to contribute to an environment in which journalists can freely and safely perform their duties throughout the entire electoral campaign, the statement concludes.