Veran Matić: I am very concerned and believe it is only a matter of time before "someone's head will roll."
The Prosecutor of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, Branko Stamenković, stated that there has been a drastic increase in the number of reported attacks on journalists this year. The President of ANEM, Veran Matić, emphasizes the issues with police behavior, as they have not responded to more than half of the requests from the prosecutor's office.
At the press conference dedicated to the criminal-legal protection of journalists at the Press Center of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), prosecutor Branko Stamenković stated that since the beginning of 2025, a total of 117 cases have been reported to all public prosecutors' offices in Serbia regarding threats to the safety of journalists, noting that the number of reported cases of physical attacks is four times higher compared to the same period last year.
He mentioned that from January 1 to November 30, there has been a drastic increase in the number of reported criminal offenses against journalists compared to the same period last year.
"This increase in reported criminal offenses to public prosecutors' offices in Serbia is approximately 113 percent compared to the comparative period of 2024. Over these 11 months, we have received a total of 117 cases in all public prosecutors' offices where there has potentially been some form of jeopardization of security, i.e., safety, or attacks on journalists while performing their work duties," he stated.
He added that it is concerning that, alongside the increase in the number of cases, there has also been an increase in the number of physical attacks on journalists during the performance of their work duties, as reflected in the proceedings submitted to the prosecutors' offices.
"The data is extremely alarming, and it is a serious burden of responsibility for all of us together - journalists' associations, media associations, public prosecutors, and other state authorities - regarding how we will face this situation and how we will resolve it," Stamenković said.
Additionally, Stamenković also spoke about the attacks on journalists in last night's Insajder interview. He expressed that he is extremely concerned and does not see a reason why the numbers of attacks on journalists cannot be lower with stronger engagement from the Minister of Internal Affairs.
"Currently, we have over 50 requests from prosecutors for information gathering that are pending with the police," Stamenković told Insajder.
Matić: Of the 62 open cases in the prosecutors' registry, there was no response from the police in 34
Veran Matić, the president of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and a member of the Permanent Working Group, noted that problems were already identified last year, particularly regarding the behavior of the police - which did not respond to more than half of the requests for information gathering for the prosecutors, adding that the same situation persists this year.
"Of the 62 open cases in the registry of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, there was no response from the police in 34 cases. Consequently, there could be no prosecutions," Matić stated.
Regarding the work of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, prosecutor Stamenković assessed that it has had an exceptionally positive impact on the actions of prosecutors and on the awareness of how necessary it is for the criminal-legal system to stand in protection of the journalistic profession, thereby safeguarding freedom of expression. This is why prosecutors are now acting within urgent deadlines - 24 hours for case initiation and 48 hours for conducting interviews with the affected journalist.
"These are extremely short deadlines, and they do not apply to any other category of affected persons compared to journalists," said Stamenković.
Regarding the freezing of the work of certain media associations in the Permanent Working Group, the prosecutor expressed understanding for that decision but stated that he would certainly like them to return in order to continue communication in an organized manner.
On the other hand, Veran Matić stated that it is not surprising that the majority of journalists' associations have suspended their membership in the Permanent Working Group "as a serious protest against the results."
"Last year, we had only one or two convictions in cases of attacks on journalists. And if we recall the good old days, if that can be said, in 2019 - out of 62 cases, we had 21 with convictions, which means a third," Matić noted.
He added that there have been around 180 open cases in the registry over the past two years, while during the same period there have been three final convictions.
"At the same time, we have this escalation and a huge increase in violence and threats against journalists. Everything we have experienced this year is an absolute disaster, and I am very concerned, and I think it is only a matter of time before 'some head will roll'," Matić said.
"Journalists feel unsafe"
He stated that he consciously expresses these words, indicating that journalists feel unsafe, as if the institutions in Serbia are against them.
"As if there is no mechanism we can count on for state support. That police part almost obstructed investigations last year regarding attacks on journalists, and this year, in the first half, we had situations where the police protected the perpetrators - entering into active combat on the side of the attackers. They protected individuals from the security forces, the paramilitary forces of the SNS, who attacked journalists," Matić said.
In the second half of the year, according to Matić, "the police joined them and began to attack journalists."
"That is what is frightening - more than 20 direct attacks (by the police) on journalists," Matić emphasized.
Source: Beta
