Response to the "Professional Association of Police": The police must protect, not assault journalists

This is a reaction to the statement by ANEM regarding the unprovoked assault on the hands and body of Nova S TV cameramen in Kruševac and the harassment of the photographer from the student information service "poljoprivredablokada".

In its statements, ANEM cites specific cases of attacks on journalists, very often documented by recordings and witnesses. We will mention only some of the attacks on journalists by police officers or in the presence of police who did not react to protect them from the assailants:

- On the Miloš Veliki highway on July 25, the police pushed and struck N1 journalist and cameraman Nenad Nešić and Aleksandar Cvrkotić, while Dragoljub Đorđević, a journalist for Radnički list Kolubara, was detained while on assignment, based on a verbal order from a member of the Gendarmerie;

- Vuk Cvijić, a journalist for Radar, was struck with a shield and elbow in front of the Faculty of Law at the beginning of July, and a member of the Ministry of Interior attempted to seize his mobile phone;

- Photographer Aleksa Stanković was forced into a police vehicle by police officers on July 2, slapped and struck, and then his head was slammed against the vehicle window, breaking the memory card from his camera;

- Photographer Gavrilo Andrić was physically attacked on June 8 in Kosjerić, in front of the police station, by a member of the SNS in the presence of several police officers, and then two days later in front of the Sava Center when he was prevented from performing his journalistic duties by police officers;

- Journalist Tamara Radovanović from Južne vesti was attacked by SNS security, and the police did not identify or detain the assailant but instead removed the journalist from the scene. They even acted on the orders of the assailants;

- Cameraman Marijan Vučetić was physically attacked at an SNS gathering in the village of Makovište in the presence of police without any response;

- Cameramen from Juronjuz TV and N1 were struck and brought to the ground on November 5 of last year during demonstrations in Novi Sad, while the police present did not react;

- In more than 15 recorded cases, present police officers did not react to the assaults on journalists in Pionirski Park and the prevention of journalists from performing their work;

- Only in one case, in the past 9 months, did the police prevent an attack on the In Media team in Inđija. A police officer reacted protectively because he himself was threatened by the assailants.

Regarding the investigations into attacks on journalists reported during the past year of 2024, in more than half of the cases recorded in the database of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, the police did not forward the requested information to the prosecutor's office, i.e., did not conduct investigative actions.

We remind you that during the detention and questioning at the police station in Pirot, the mobile phone of journalist Slaviša Milanov, which was confiscated from him, was illegally unlocked, data was extracted, and spyware was installed, as confirmed by Amnesty International's laboratory. The company Celebrite, whose device is used for unlocking and data extraction, also stated that there was misuse of their software.

Despite this, the Internal Control Service of the Ministry of Interior stated that there were no illegal actions.

It is evident from these examples that members of the Ministry of Interior have been violent towards journalists and media workers and that they did not protect them. In each of these attacks, there can be seen an abuse of authority and unnecessary use of force against journalists and cameramen who are often unable to protect themselves.

We believe that the union should address these cases, insist on accountability for those who have overstepped their authority, educate members, especially intervention units, and thereby protect their profession.

Veran Matić, President of the ANEM Board of Directors and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists

 

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 Fund for Democracy.