Protecting the Elections: ANEM and Civic Initiatives Gather Journalists and Civil Society Due to Increased Pressure Before October 25th

In discussions about the risks of new physical and cyber attacks, pressures, and violence, participants at the "Protecting Elections" meeting concluded that the election day on October 25 could be even more violent. Therefore, they presented a network of assistance and support that will be available to journalists, activists, observers, and citizens before and during the election day.

The President of ANEM and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, Veran Matić, pointed out that the police have not responded to more than 60 percent of requests from prosecutors for information gathering related to attacks on journalists. 

“We will strive to engage contact points in the prosecutors' offices and the police. We have agreed to write to local contact points in the police and attempt to obtain information about the individuals who will be responsible for security on election day and immediately after the elections so that our contact points, namely journalists, know whom they can communicate with at any moment and whom they can turn to in case of potential conflict situations,” said Matić.

Researcher at the SHARE Foundation, Andrijana Ristić, warned about two types of attacks in the digital space during the pre-election campaign - surveillance and intimidation. She reminded that during the pre-election campaign for local elections, which people considered a trial run for these parliamentary elections, there was mass usage of domestic spy software, as well as the use of extremely expensive and dangerous technologies like Pegasus. 

Journalists reporting from the field are advised to know the number of the secure hotline, to always have the contact number of a lawyer and other important emergency contacts on hand, including local contact points. In the field, they should record from a safe distance, avoid confrontation with the police, not work alone but in pairs or in the presence of witnesses, and assess potential risks in advance.

ANEM's secure hotline for journalists is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at the number 0800 100 115.

The Shield of Civil Initiatives provides free legal support, also throughout the day at the number 069 192 192 0.

In the case of coordinated attacks on accounts, assistance from the SHARE Foundation is available via email at info@sharedefense.org or through the platform botijada.surf.

Trag Foundation has a fund for urgent support, which media can contact for financial assistance in cases of pressure, website issues, and other emergency situations.

For part of the discussion from "Protecting Elections," see Peščanik.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)