The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on Friday condemned the attacks on journalists in Serbia during the ongoing protests, and warned about media restrictions and dismissals of journalists, said the Journalists Association of Serbia (UNS).
The IFJ and EFJ pointed to the cases of obstructed journalism, including that of Milan Srdic, and the death threats addressed to the editorial staff of the Maglocistac portal. They said that the KRIK investigative news portal was also targeted with a lawsuit by Jelena Tanaskovic, director of the Serbian Railways Infrastructure and one of those suspected of being responsible for the Novi Sad train station accident.
Two Novosti journalists were dismissed for publicly voicing support for student protesters.
Editor of the ELLE magazine website, Tara Djukic, was informed that her collaboration with the magazine had been terminated after she publicly supported students’ views and protests that they had organized.
The IFJ and the EFJ said: “We stand with journalists in Serbia who are carrying out their reporting activities in a climate of serious intimidation and violence. We urge the Serbian authorities to investigate every single case of attacks against our colleagues.”
The federations stressed that media freedom is essential in a democracy and the public’s right to know must be protected, by all means possible, with solid safeguards for press freedom.
The IFJ said it encourages the newly formed government to maintain a constructive dialogue with its affiliate, the Union of Journalists and Media Workers of Serbia (SINOS), in the negotiations for a new branch collective agreement covering media that will champion equal treatment for all media workers in the media industry.
Source: N1
