Recording of the meeting of SRG members held in Belgrade on June 13.

Veran Matić, a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists and President of the ANEM Management Board, stated at the opening of the meeting that out of 62 cases formed by public prosecutors during 2024, there was no response from the police to their requests for information gathering in 34 instances.

"When we talk about attacks, there is an increasing number of physical assaults on colleagues, especially on cameramen, at public gatherings, where the police present do not react. If there is a police response, it is common practice to remove and identify the journalist, while the attacker is not detained or identified. Attackers on journalists are often from the security of the SNS, the event security; it is evident that they are paramilitary forces giving instructions to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is best seen in the example of the 'Forbidden City,' Pioneer Park, where at any moment at least 30 members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are guarding individuals inside, rather than protecting journalists who come to report. We are left to fend for ourselves; the aggressors are more protected due to the police's inaction and the lack of punishment from the courts," emphasized Matić.

From January 1, 2016, to May 31, 2025, the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office has, according to public prosecutor Branko Stamenković, formed 521 cases related to attacks on 683 individuals, or 569 persons. Of these, 373 cases have been recognized as grounds for further criminal prosecution, and as many as 340 cases (54.75%) are handled by the High-Tech Crime Prosecutor's Office, which has insufficient capacities for such cases.

“It is extremely difficult for us to cope with the enormous number of cases that come in daily and are increasing year by year. Currently, we have nearly 3,500 cases, and it is still not the end of the first half of the year. We expect an increase in the number of cases compared to the previous year, and currently, only six public prosecutors and eight public prosecutor associates are dealing with all these cases, which are insufficient capacities,” emphasized Boris Majlat, Chief Prosecutor for High-Tech Crime, at the meeting.

In addition to members of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, the meeting was attended by representatives of journalistic and media associations, journalists from Belgrade who were targets of threats and attacks, prosecutors, and contact points.

A more detailed report from the meeting can be read at this link.

The project "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists," under which the meeting was organized, is carried out 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 Democracy Fund.