NUNS: Threats against journalists continue, as do attacks by the police – we demand accountability

We remind you that in recent months, Serbia has witnessed a concerning increase in threats, pressure, and attacks on journalists. 

Just last Friday: 

• journalist Vuk Cvijić was attacked by a police officer in riot gear, who sprayed him with a chemical agent while he was peacefully standing with colleagues near the General Staff, causing him to be completely blinded for the next hour;
• photojournalist Marija Čolaković was beaten with telescopic batons by the police and sustained visible injuries to her arms and legs;
• student photojournalist Luka Pešić, who reports for student portals, was pursued by the police twice while documenting arrests at the Vuk Monument;
• according to media reports, threatening messages such as "we are coming," "scum," and similar phrases were sent to the official emails of the RTS offices in Požarevac and other cities;
• the editorial team of the portal Magločistač from Subotica received a brutal death threat, in which the person stated that they would attack the life and body of the editorial members or their close associates, along with monstrous messages: "I f*** your children, slaughtered and with gouged eyes, you and Magločistač." In response, a criminal complaint was filed with the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime for the act of endangering safety.

NUNS will report the attack on Marija Čolaković and demands that the relevant authorities immediately launch an investigation into all these incidents, identify and sanction those responsible.

We remind you that everyone has the right to record police actions as long as they do not interfere with their work. Journalists are on assignment in the public interest, and their job is to document events, while it is the police's duty to protect them and allow them to carry out their work. Instead of attacking them, police officers should be protecting them. However, the police continue to attack journalists and media workers, which not only prevents them from doing their jobs but also directly endangers their safety, which is particularly concerning and absolutely unacceptable. We demand that the police immediately cease such behavior and direct violations of the law, and that they start doing their job, protecting citizens and ensuring normal and safe working conditions for journalists. Any further violence against journalists represents a serious undermining of the rule of law and the democratic order.

NUNS appeals to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to take responsibility for the actions of its officers, prevent such attacks, and ensure conditions in which journalists can safely perform their work. All violence and threats must be sanctioned in accordance with the law.

Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia

Source: NUNS