Journalistic Section of the SRG: The assault on journalists and citizens continues, and the behavior of the police is unacceptable.

Bjelić, who was earlier detained by the police due to, as they stated, an existing warrant for his arrest, was attacked by a group of unknown individuals who struck him on the body and head, which Dinić recorded, after which they also attacked him. In an attempt to escape, he fell into the Timok River where they beat him and forced him to shout "Aca president." The first recordings show head injuries on both of them.

According to testimonies, the assailants exited an Audi car with Pančevo license plates, attacked the journalists, seized and damaged their phones, and the camera of journalist Zorica Popović, who was also recording this attack, was stolen. Severely injured Bjelić and Dinić were transported by ambulance to the hospital in Bor, where they were hospitalized and are undergoing examinations due to numerous injuries they sustained. The attack has been reported to the police and prosecutor's office contact points in Bor.

Representatives of journalistic and media associations from the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists (SRG) have recorded several cases of threats to media representatives and interference in journalistic work since this morning.

Miroslav Pantović from Mačva News in Bogatić was attacked while reporting for his YouTube channel about events in Bajina Bašta. Three assailants broke his camera during the attack and took it to nearby premises where they are stationed. When he called the police, the damaged camera was returned to him without the memory card. He received medical assistance at the Health Center.

In Kula, two assaults on journalist and photo reporter Mina Delić from the Free Press Foundation, a media outlet of the Hungarian community, were recorded. She noticed men carrying boxes near the café "Tvrđava," stopped, and asked them what was in them. "They were very unpleasant. One of the men cursed at me, approached me, and squeezed my hand, in which I was holding my phone, very tightly." When she posted a recording of this attack on her Instagram page, she received insults and threats in the comments.

Previously, in front of the café "Nuss," which she was told is suspected to be the headquarters of the Serbian Progressive Party, where "vote buying" allegedly takes place, she was answered with pushing when she asked people waiting outside if they could tell her why they were waiting there. "I asked the people who were waiting outside if they could tell me why they were waiting. They became aggressive, shoved me, and did not allow me to enter the café."

In Kula, the journalistic team of the Finnish public service, as well as a journalist from the Storyiteller portal, were also obstructed.

The NG portal's journalistic team was denied filming at polling places in Kladovo and Brza Palanka, said Suzana Mihajlović Jovanović, the editor-in-chief of this media outlet. Upon exiting the polling place, she noted that they were being filmed from a black car. “At one point, they approached us and asked if we were filming and for which media we were reporting. Then they left; I don't know who they were,” emphasized Mihajlović Jovanović.

Journalistic and media associations, which are on alert in places where local elections are held, evaluate that such cases of violence against journalists and citizens are unacceptable in a democratic society. The most concerning is the reaction of police officers who, in all cases, protect the assailants who beat and intimidate people, neither legitimizing nor arresting them. Numerous recordings on social media show how the police protect the properties and vehicles where the assailants are located, among whom are those seen with baseball bats and metal rods.

We call on the relevant authorities to urgently stop the violence and resolve all cases of physical attacks that have occurred since this morning.

The journalistic section of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists (SRG) earlier in the day issued a demand to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to identify and apprehend all individuals who have physically attacked journalists and citizens since this morning.

Let us remind you, among those attacked today is journalist Darko Gligorijević from Zoomer, who was targeted by unknown individuals in Bajina Bašta while reporting from the field; they first attempted to take his phone and then struck him in the head with a fist and sprayed him with pepper spray, even though he emphasized that he was a journalist. Reporters from Mašina, Blokade info, and Political Globe of Serbia were also exposed to incidents in Bajina Bašta. Ivana Marsenić, a freelance journalist with NUNS credentials, had her camera stolen while reporting on the matter, and the tires of the Insider team’s vehicle were punctured.

On the other hand, police officers detained journalist Ivan Bjelić from Revolt this morning on the grounds that a "warrant had been issued" for him. After several hours, Bjelić was released.

The Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists has notified all relevant global organizations for the protection of journalists and media, as well as for the protection of freedom of speech and human rights, about this unprecedented violence against female and male journalists and media outlets.

We once again remind that emergency phone lines are available to media reporting from the field: ANEM Safe Line 0800 100 115, the emergency phone of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) 060 688 22 31, while journalists can contact the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) at 062 530 337 and 064 941 04 89.

We call on all journalists and media representatives to report any threats, pressure, attacks, and other forms of interference in their work and threats to their safety to these phone numbers. All information will be communicated and forwarded to the on-duty SRG members who are in communication with contact points in the police and prosecutor's offices.

The SRG, established in January 2017, consists of representatives from the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, as well as six journalistic and media associations – the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV), the Media Association (AM), the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), the Association of Online Media (AOM), along with the OSCE Mission in Serbia in an observer status.