This must not be made public: Increasingly severe attacks on female journalists involving the police.

Since the beginning of the demonstrations on the streets across Serbia, journalists have been subjected to various attacks and pressures. From threats of not publishing certain information, being removed from the field despite having PRESS identification, dismissals for supporting students, intimidation via social media and other communication channels, to physical assaults during demonstrations, often by police officers.

For Cenzolovka, journalist of the weekly magazine Vreme Katarina Stevanović, head of the Media Studies Department at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad Smiljana Milinkov, and photojournalist Marija Čolaković, share their experiences.

It's not normal

On Sunday, September 14, around 6 PM, a message arrived at the official email address of Professor Smiljana Milinkov stating, "the black hand has marked you, be careful, friend." The sender was unknown, as was the email address.

“We had no prior contact; my address is available on the faculty website, which means someone had to search for it. It’s an understatement to say I was disturbed. Friends I showed it to reacted similarly. Following my lawyer's advice, it was reported to the police, an official note was made, my phone was photographed, and I was told it would be forwarded to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime. The next day, a colleague from another faculty contacted me, who received a nearly identical message. He also reported it, noting that he was aware I had reported it as well. And that’s it; for now, no one from the police or the prosecutor's office has reached out,” Milinkov told Cenzolovka.

“Fear exists and it is rational to be scared,” adds Milinkov, “but that does not mean I will be silenced.”

“A lot has accumulated over these almost 11 months, although a kind of state of emergency at our Faculty of Philosophy and targeting of professors and students who critically point out issues in this society has been going on for much longer. Now everything is much more intense; almost every week, one of my colleagues or we all together are on the agenda of defamation in programs produced by the regime's Center for Social Stability, which is broadcast on national television. Thus, there is direct targeting, labeling as enemies, foreign mercenaries, some kind of criminal associations, so it is no wonder that someone feels entitled to threaten. This is the atmosphere of intimidation through lies and manipulations that has been nurtured for a long time and is now at some peak, I guess.”

“It is not normal for police officers to detain or beat citizens at a peaceful protest with hatred and insults.

It is not normal for them to throw stun grenades at our feet while we jump over them like rabbits.

It is not normal for them to use gas that is no longer used in civilized society because it can seriously threaten life.

It is not normal for us to be held hostage for two and a half hours in the rectorate building where we sought protection precisely from the police that tramples everything in its path.

It is not normal for a police officer to throw citizens who are standing peacefully with their hands raised to protect students like sacks.

It is not normal for the police to prohibit entry onto campus territory, and when we say we are professors, they comment that our working hours have expired.

It is not normal for excellent, responsible students to be in detention and exile for more than six months simply for being brave, vocal, and persistent in the fight for a better society.

These are just segments of what is personal in a sea of everything abnormal that we are all experiencing together. It is okay to be scared; none of us is calibrated to function normally in these inhumane circumstances, but that fear and concern are just reasons to be even more persistent and louder,” concludes Professor Milinkov.

“You don't belong here”

Photojournalist Marija Čolaković reports that she has faced verbal and physical assaults from the gendarmerie in recent months, whose members had no visible identification, always masked and shielded.

“The worst incident occurred on June 28, when I, along with two other women, was pushed and hit multiple times with a baton in my back and neck, after which tear gas was deployed, and I had a serious panic attack.

The second attack happened in front of the SNS headquarters on John Kennedy Street, where gendarmerie members pushed me away with shields, even though I was clearly marked as a journalist.

The third occurred on August 15, in front of the London hotel. Despite my visible press ID, I was physically attacked—hit on the arm and leg while reporting on my phone.

The last incident happened during a peaceful protest. A gendarmerie member pushed me back into the crowd, even though I was showing my press ID, which I always do, wearing it around my neck every time I am on the field,” she tells Cenzolovka.

She has been repeatedly prevented from photographing or recording certain events, along with threats that “this must not go public,” “you don’t belong here,” and “go photograph something more sensible, like weddings.”

Despite all the threats and fear, she remains on the streets.

“Every attack leaves a mark and it’s impossible not to feel fear, which in my case only comes when the adrenaline drops, but I believe that in such circumstances, it is the duty of journalists and photojournalists to persist. I continue to report because I believe it is important for the public to receive truthful information and for what is really happening to be documented,” says Čolaković.

She has reported all the attacks.

“I have reported the attacks to journalistic associations and certain institutions. Reactions have been limited so far, with no concrete protection on the ground. Most of the support I receive is from colleagues and organizations that monitor media freedom. Always with the same statement—‘take care.’”

This is my job

Journalist of the weekly Vreme Katarina Stevanović has also faced brutal behavior from the police while reporting on demonstrations. On one occasion, she was forced to lie on the ground despite clearly identifying as a journalist, with a "warning" not to film.

“Reporting from the protest against police brutality in Novi Sad on September 5, I found myself in a group of people that the police were dispersing on campus, first by throwing tear gas and then through physical pushing. I was pressed against the fence of a sports field with a group of about 20 people and then forced to lie on the ground for about fifteen minutes, waiting for further police actions and being taken to the police station. I identified myself as a journalist multiple times while lying down, asking to contact the editorial office, to which I received a clear ‘no’ in response, with the added remark that I could do that once I got to the police station and if it turned out that I was indeed a journalist. In the end, they allowed me to be the first to stand up when they started to identify and take people to the station; they asked for my accreditation and ID to verify my information, and then they allowed me to use my phone, after which, once they checked my data and returned my documents, one of the police officers apologized, saying they had not seen that I was a journalist. I replied that I had mentioned it several times and that I had been lying on the ground for about 15 minutes with clear identification, and that even his colleagues noticed I was a journalist, since someone among them commented that there was also a journalist among those detained. To that, I received the response that they wear masks and helmets and do not always see or hear everything clearly,” Stevanović recounts her latest experience for Cenzolovka.

Like our previous interlocutors, despite her fear, she continues to fight through her work.

“The greatest stress and fear of the unknown I experienced was precisely at the moment when I found myself next to the fence with police officers who had cornered me and the group into that spot, as I did not know what would happen next. Now, more than two weeks later, I still feel a certain discomfort, as journalists should not have to face such situations and disrespect for their integrity while reporting on any event. As I wrote in my first article for Vreme, the morning after the incident, they prevented me from doing my own job at that moment, even though it was clear to them that I was not a demonstrator, but a journalist. There is no fear now, and whether something will arise the next time I report from a protest, we will see. As far as I am concerned, I will absolutely continue to report and go into the field. This is my job, and as long as I choose to pursue journalism, I will do so as I have until now,” explains Stevanović.

Although she herself did not report to anyone, the editorial team of the weekly Vreme immediately reacted with a statement condemning the attacks. Domestic and foreign associations and organizations—UNS, NUNS, and ANEM, as well as the European Federation of Journalists—also spoke out. EFJ issued an alert and recorded the case in the database of attacks on journalists.

JOURNALISTS ARE ATTACKED AND THREATENED, SUBJECTED TO HUNTS AND RECEIVING DISMISSALS

In light of all these cases, as well as other attacks, the group Journalists Against Violence issued a statement stating that “such attacks are not only an attack on one journalist but also on media freedom, public interest, and citizens' right to be informed.” They add that, according to the records of the network safejournalists.net, there were as many as 25 physical attacks on journalists recorded in August 2025, 14 of which were by police officers.

The attacks have been accompanied by witch hunts in tabloids, the disclosure of personal information, as well as the dismissal of female journalists for expressing personal opinions outside of work. According to records and information, from the media or from the journalists themselves, besides our three interlocutors, on September 5 in Novi Sad, N1 reporters Tamara Stojanović, Ksenija Pavkov, and Žaklina Tatalović, although clearly marked as PRESS, were pushed and hit with batons by the police, while on August 19, N1 journalist Lea Apro was hit multiple times with a police shield.

Sanji Ignjatović Eker, a journalist for Nova S, and her child received threats after Informer launched a campaign against her on August 14, and just three days earlier in Vrbas, N1 reporter Jelena Mirković and cameraman Denijal Dabić endured insults, provocations, and threats of violence from SNS supporters. Besides physical attacks and threats, female journalists are subjected to witch hunts and dismissals. Biljana Stepanović and Vladimira Dorčova Valtner are frequent targets of tabloid media due to their views and critical perspectives on societal issues, the activities of state organs, officials, and representatives of the authorities, while Marija Šehić (Euronews), Sandra Gucijan and Dorotea Čarnić (Politika), as well as Milica Blažević (Tanjug), have lost their jobs.

“Journalists Against Violence” demand: – that the relevant authorities urgently respond to the threats against Smiljana Milinkov and ensure her safety, – that all attacks on female journalists and journalists be taken seriously and that perpetrators be prosecuted, – that the police and institutions protect citizens and guarantee freedom of speech and media freedom. Despite appeals and demands from various journalistic associations and organizations, both domestic and foreign, there are still no sanctioned individuals for attacks on female journalists during reporting.

Source: Cenzolovka