Lea Apro: Police Against Journalists

Attack on journalist Lea Apro on August 20th in Novi Sad once again raised the issue of the safety of journalists in Serbia. Although she was clearly marked with a "press" vest and introduced herself multiple times, police officers physically attacked her during the intervention, injuring her arm and knocking the phone out of her hand. In an interview with “Vreme,” Apro discusses that moment, what the minutes looked like as she became a target of those who are supposed to uphold public order, the reactions of institutions, and the atmosphere in which, as she says, the police are becoming increasingly aggressive, making it harder for journalists to do their jobs.

“VREME”: Can you describe in detail the moment when you were attacked in Novi Sad – what was happening just before the police officers approached you?

LEA APRO: On Wednesday, August 20th, around 6:10 AM, I arrived at the building of the judiciary in Novi Sad, at Sutjeska Street 3, to report on the announced blockade called for by students from the University of Novi Sad, which was also supported by citizens gathered in local assemblies. They demanded the release of all detainees who were apprehended during and after the protests, which escalated in Novi Sad in the first half of August.

When I arrived on site, I saw that students and citizens had begun to gather at the main entrance of the building, and there were also citizens near the official entrance. By that time, members of the Police Intervention Unit were already present in the courtyard of the building. Around 7 AM, citizens blocked all four entrances to the building. After that, employees began to gather at the corner of Maksim Gorky Street and Sutjeska. At around 7:17 AM, members of the Intervention Unit started to approach from Maksim Gorky Street towards the main entrance of the building to break up the blockade. I was recording the whole time with my official phone. I was wearing a fluorescent yellow vest marked “press,” I was clearly identified, and everyone could see that I was a journalist reporting on the event, meaning I was on official duty.

Then, one of the members of the Intervention Unit standing at the main entrance behind the gathered demonstrators issued an order: “I command you to cease the blockade of the court and to stop disturbing public order. Any disobedience to the order of an authorized official constitutes a criminal offense.” However, the demonstrators shouted back at the police officer addressing them to identify himself and remove his mask. He did not comply but repeated to the citizens to disperse and end the blockade of the court. I approached and held my phone closer to the member of the Intervention Unit to record him speaking. Thus, I found myself in front of the cordon while the police officers were positioning themselves across the width of Sutjeska Street. At that moment, another member of the Intervention Unit addressed the crowd, saying: “You need to disperse, or we will use force.” I recorded him with my phone as well.

Then, one of the police officers said: “Let’s go, come on, come on,” and they started to push back the gathered individuals who were standing on the steps in front of the main entrance to the court. Some of the assembled raised their hands, but the police officers roughly pushed them aside regardless. I continued to record everything that was happening, striving to capture every moment. That is my duty. At the same time, I tried to move away so as not to interfere with the police during their intervention. Several times I was even facing away from the cordon, so they could clearly see the “press” label on my vest. At one point, the cordon began to push the citizens back even harder, and then one police officer shoved me roughly; I believe he did it with a shield (I’m not sure, everything happened quickly and it was very stressful).

I tried to distance myself, but I was shoved again with great force, and then I shouted for the first time, “I am a journalist.” However, the police officer continued to push me towards a tree in front of the main entrance. I shouted again that I was a journalist, but it was no use; he pinned me forcefully against the tree, trapped my left arm at the forearm, and knocked the phone out of my hand. I felt a sharp pain in my arm. After that, I picked up the phone from the ground and continued recording the police intervention, which was still pushing the demonstrators away from the main entrance to the court. The footage shows several situations in which members of the Intervention Unit roughly push citizens and students, as well as other journalists.

Did you notice that the police officers targeted you and your colleague, or did it seem like a non-selective use of force?

I have been reporting from various protests for years; I have found myself both behind and in front of police cordons, but for the first time, I experienced a police officer physically injuring me while I was performing my job. There were not many demonstrators at this event. Everything happened during the day, visibility was good, and it was obvious that I was a journalist and that I was just doing my job. Therefore, I assume that the members of the Intervention Unit were aware that they were using force against journalists. My colleague, the well-known Novi Sad journalist Žarko Bogosavljević, was also roughly pushed. I have been doing this job for a long time, and in the last nine months, after the roof collapsed at the Railway Station, I have been on the streets almost every day where members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are present, so it is nearly impossible that they did not recognize my colleagues and me. Even if they brought in police officers from other places that morning, that cannot be an excuse for the excessive use of force, as we were wearing “press” vests and it was clear that we were on official duty, just as they were.

Has anyone from the police, institutions, or journalistic associations contacted you after the incident?

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Independent Journalists' Society of Vojvodina (NDNV), and the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) reacted to the incident with statements regarding the police attack on journalists. Some representatives from these associations contacted me personally and offered their assistance.

A mechanism has also been initiated within the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, which includes contact points in the prosecutor's office that are supposed to respond to attacks on journalists within 48 hours, or through an expedited procedure. The case was reported to the police ex officio by a doctor from the Health Center whom I first went to for an examination. She referred me to an orthopedic specialist at the Emergency Center of the Clinical Center of Vojvodina (KCV). Two uniformed police officers and an inspector came there. They wanted to take me to a police station after the orthopedic examination to give a statement. I refused to do so without the presence of a lawyer, even though I would be giving a statement as a victim, for which the lawyer's presence is not required. I did not want to do this without a lawyer because I found myself in a situation where I had to report a police officer to the police. The inspector consulted on the phone with superiors for almost an hour while we were at the Emergency Center. In the end, the inspector told me that I should report the case to the Internal Control Sector (SUK) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, located at the police station on Pavla Papa Street in Novi Sad.

After the specialist's examination, I went with a lawyer to the SUK, but they were not informed about my case. There, a police officer from the internal control sector told us that I could submit my report in writing, but he suggested that we submit it to the prosecutor's office, which would then instruct the SUK to investigate the case. On Thursday, August 21st, I was contacted by the prosecutor who is the contact point within the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and on Friday, August 22nd, I gave her a statement at the prosecutor's office, after which she told me that she would contact the Internal Control Sector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding my case.

Have you considered giving up reporting under such conditions?

Not for a moment did I think about giving up reporting; it simply is not an option for me. I was aware of what I was getting into. Journalism has been my profession for 23 years. Of course, fear exists, but there is also a sense of responsibility towards the public and citizens. In organized states, journalism serves as a corrective for society. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. Most media serve the authorities, not the citizens. The spin dictating this regime is based precisely on the media; without them, it would not exist. That is why I believe that the work of professional, objective, and independent journalists is crucial for the survival of our society and for its healing.

Source: Vreme