Veran Matić for Vreme: The protection of journalists comes first.

On the safety of female journalists and the activities of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists (SRG) regarding this issue, Veran Matić, the president of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), speaks for "Vreme".

VREME: I read the news that at the end of September last year you said that the SRG would address the safety of female journalists at its next meeting. What has been done since then on this issue?

VERAN MATIĆ: At that time, I noticed that, according to all records, the number of attacks on female journalists had increased and, for the first time, the percentage had surpassed half of all attacks. Therefore, I proposed that this be the topic of the meeting held in Prijepolje, where TV Forum operates – a media outlet founded by women and the first civil society media in Serbia. At that meeting, we identified the problems that female journalists face and aimed to make this new trend public. We discussed the same topic at the final SRG meeting at the end of December, but due to numerous topics and unresolved cases, we could not focus thematically on this issue. After that, the activities of the SRG were frozen, and the debate was not continued within the group, although it did continue in the public domain and among the media community, especially within the projects and activities undertaken by ANEM.

Last year, out of 62 open cases in the High Public Prosecutor's Office (VJT), female journalists were attacked or threatened in 56% of the cases. When it comes to threats on social media, that percentage was nearly 70%. This trend continues this year: by the end of July, the same number of cases had been recorded as in the entire previous year in the database of the High Public Prosecutor's Office, while in the NUNS database by the end of August, the number for the entire previous year had already been reached. And that number is rising month by month – in August alone, 46 cases were recorded, of which 14 involved police attacks on journalists. It is worth mentioning that the database maintained by the High Public Prosecutor's Office categorizes attacks by gender, which is a result of the work of the SRG.

What is the current position of female journalists during crisis reporting? First of all, I mean during protests...

As early as March, during civil protests in Novi Sad, we had a series of incidents where female journalists were the targets. This coincided with targeting in tabloids and by some politicians against journalist Ana Lalić Hegediš, which turned into an incredible number of threats and disturbing messages – several hundred. We visited Novi Sad at that time, and I personally witnessed how terrifying the messages that were coming to her by the minute were. Ksenija Pavkov experienced the same. We demanded quick investigations from the prosecutor's office and the police. In one case, the perpetrator was identified, later arrested, and admitted that he "lost his mind" reading "Informer" and sent threatening messages from Paris, where he lives. He later managed to escape – I believe with the help of people within the system. Female journalists are regularly attacked, mostly at protests, but also through social media, often using the real names of the perpetrators. Impunity clearly encourages abusers. Violence against women, which often goes unpunished in its essence, is also at the core of the violence against female journalists, who are special targets due to their integrity, courage, professionalism, and unwavering resolve.

Female journalists are often also subjected to bullying. We see that in the past few months, more female journalists have been fired than male journalists. Therefore, it is crucial for newsrooms to prioritize the protection of female journalists – to undergo mandatory training for safe reporting before going to the field, to be equipped with protective gear, not to send them to places where they may be endangered, and to provide them with legal, psychological, and medical support when needed. It is also necessary for the entire public to understand the problem of the safety of female journalists in a much more empathetic and supportive way.

You mentioned that the majority of threats and endangerments to safety are not covered by criminal law. What exactly did you mean by that?

We have had initiatives and proposals for amendments to the Criminal Code on two occasions. For example, today we have the paradox that prosecutors do not file charges ex officio for attacks on journalists that they assess have resulted in minor bodily injuries. Thus, a criminal complaint for the attack on Vuk Cvijić, Uglješa Bokić, and several other current cases awaiting the same fate was dismissed. Journalists are then directed to private lawsuits, which are often avoided due to lengthy processes and the likelihood that a judge will rule in favor of the abuser. It is paradoxical that threats made via social media are prosecuted ex officio and punished more severely than a physical attack resulting in minor injuries.

There is much room to broaden the definition of endangerment to safety and to more precisely define threats. Currently, we have a very strict interpretation of threats made via social media – that they must be directly aimed and realistically achievable. However, there is a whole range of very dangerous threats and disturbing messages that are formulated to bypass such practices.

Gross insults, brazen and ruthless behavior towards journalists, indirect threats of attacks on life and body, hate speech against journalists... – all of this is currently not covered by existing provisions. For instance, hate speech is a criminal offense if directed at a person advocating for human rights, but not if directed at journalists. To conclude – the existing legal framework provides too much room for arbitrary and malevolent interpretation of the law, resulting in those who harm or intimidate journalists not being held accountable for it. That is unacceptable, and both the SRG and I personally will continue to advocate for amendments to the Criminal Code that will allow for more comprehensive and effective protection for all media workers.

Of course, it is important to emphasize that the legal system is quite devastated and that the legislative framework guarantees nothing. The practice of protecting freedom of speech is increasingly weaker among both prosecutors and judges. Moreover, the president of the country completely undermines the legal order through amnesties. Therefore, fundamental changes are crucial so that any other changes, including the Criminal Code, make sense. In any case, we should not give up because it is very important to document all cases of endangerment to journalists' safety, to react publicly, and to protect female and male journalists as much as we can. Solidarity within the profession and with citizens is very important.

How do you assess the success of the SRG for the safety of journalists from its inception to today?

The SRG is quite limited by its agreement regarding operational activities. With the significant support of the OSCE, which has a representative in the SRG, we have managed to expand activities to various trainings for prosecutors, police, and journalists, as well as to organize useful study visits and enhance the visibility of this body’s work. Thanks to the support from the OSCE, the SRG has survived to this day despite numerous challenges we have faced. Regarding the functioning mechanism of this body, the prosecutor's office has established contact points in all prosecutor's offices in Serbia, and the police in all police departments and cities. The contact point phone numbers are publicly available to journalists.

We from the media community are also contact points. An SOS phone for reporting attacks and threats has been established at ANEM, and similar phones are available at NUNS and UNS. All of us exchange information. For several years, we have been holding local meetings with journalists, prosecutors, and police where we discuss open cases and the reasons they remain unresolved, as well as preventive measures. ANEM has been organizing training for safe reporting for the third year now, through which more than 350 journalists have passed.

Much has been done since January 2017 when the SRG was formed, and everything is transparently presented in annual reports that can be easily found and read. However, for such an initiative to be fully successful, goodwill, knowledge, and unwavering determination to fight for a better position for journalists are not sufficient. There also needs to be clear political will, as well as the readiness of the police, prosecutors, and courts to prosecute those responsible for each individual attack or threat in accordance with the laws of this state. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

During 2024, we noticed obstruction from the police – in more than half of the open cases in the prosecutor's offices, there was no response to requests for information gathering, so the cases were not resolved. Because of this, ANEM froze its activity in the SRG. Prior to that, other journalistic associations and unions, except for UNS, did the same. Nevertheless, we still maintain regular communication with the contact points in the prosecutor's offices and the police when reporting threats and attacks or when anticipating possible problems and seeking preventive action. We also continued regular local meetings, particularly in cities where violence against journalists is more frequent or where there are unresolved cases. In the past month, we have been in Vranje, Leskovac, and Novi Pazar.

I have long advocated for greater institutionalization of the SRG to make it more efficient and operational, but so far there has been no understanding of that idea. Certainly, we should consider a more efficient form of organization, as we are witnessing a noticeable increase in threats, attacks, and other forms of endangerment to the safety of female and male journalists.

Source: Vreme