SafeJournalists: The police again failed to protect journalists during protests in several cities in Serbia.
The SafeJournalists network indicates that last night's incidents in Vrbas, Bački Petrovac, Novi Pazar, and Belgrade demonstrated that the police are unable to ensure the unhindered work of journalists during the coverage of protests and events of public significance.
During the citizens' protest on August 12 in Vrbas, supporters of the Serbian Progressive Party launched an organized attack, throwing bottles, stones, and pyrotechnic devices at the gathered citizens, among whom were also journalists reporting on the event. In these attacks, both Marko Miletić, the editor of the "Mašina" portal, and Andrej Stamenković, a camera assistant for N1, were injured. The police officers did not intervene at any point to prevent the attacks.
Marko Miletić, the editor of the "Mašina" portal, was hit with multiple stones, frozen bottles, and pieces of fireworks, while Andrej Stamenković from N1 was struck twice by a stone, once in the shoulder and once in the stomach. Fortunately, they both sustained only minor physical injuries.
In a live broadcast on the social media channels of "Mašina," it is clearly visible how Miletić, after the attack, addresses the police, asking them when they will react and prevent the attackers from throwing pyrotechnic devices at them. The police officers merely turned away, and when a journalist pointed out that someone had been hit, they did not respond. The "Mašina" portal is under direct attack due to its reporting on the events, and as a consequence, it received a serious threat on the social network Instagram on August 10.
During an attempted blockade of the entrance to the courthouse in Novi Pazar on August 12, a confrontation occurred between demonstrators and the police. While reporting, journalist Nusreta Brunčević witnessed an incident in which a police officer, without visible name identification, made inappropriate comments toward female students in the front rows. After the journalist asked the police officer to identify himself, he first refused and then only provided his first name. At one point, the police officer directly addressed the journalist, telling her she was "irrelevant" and emphasizing, "we will see each other." When she asked him if he really said that, he confirmed it with a smirk and a mocking tone. After the journalist reported the incident to the commanding officer, he removed the officer from the scene.
The SafeJournalists network demands that the police begin to do their job and take measures in accordance with the law to protect journalists while they are reporting. We remind everyone of the alarming trend of attacks, threats, and intimidation of journalists and media workers by the police, which continued the previous day. Such behavior must cease, and journalists and media workers must be allowed to perform their jobs without hindrance, as attacks and threats not only jeopardize their physical integrity but also threaten media freedom.
The network calls on the relevant institutions to prosecute every case of violence against journalists. We urge the Ministry of Internal Affairs to initiate proceedings against police officers who threaten and intimidate media representatives. Journalists working in the public interest must not be targets of attacks; rather, they must have full protection from the state and support from all relevant institutions.
The SafeJournalists network will inform national and international stakeholders about this incident and continue to monitor the situation.
Every attack on journalists is an attack on democracy, the public interest, and fundamental human rights.
**Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica, August 13, 2025.**
*Croatian Journalists' Society*
*Journalists' Association of Kosovo*
*Journalists' Association of Macedonia*
*BH Journalists Association*
*Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia*
*Media Union of Montenegro*
