The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) published a report titled “A Chronology of Attacks on Media Workers in the Area between Pioneer Park and the Serbian Parliament.” The report provides a centralized record of every incident involving the safety of journalists within the so-called “tent encampment” located in this part of central Belgrade.
The document serves as a reminder of unresolved cases of harassment and obstruction targeting media workers during a period when this area functioned as a “forbidden city” for critical and professional media outlets.
Over the nine-month period following the setup of the encampment in Pioneer Park -which eventually expanded toward the Serbian Parliament – ANEM’s monthly monitoring recorded at least 25 instances of interference in the work of or physical assault against media workers within and around the fenced-off perimeter.
According to data from the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office, only one of these reported cases led to a suspect being detained. This involved an attack on Insajder TV journalist Natasa Mijuskovic, who was able to identify her assailant using the “”Caci(s): Party Guardians” database, an investigative tool developed by the investigative media outlet KRIK.
In one case, the criminal complaint was dismissed by the competent prosecutor.
The report highlights that police officers, despite being constantly present in the vicinity or even witnessing the attacks firsthand, failed to intervene to protect journalists or identify the aggressors. In some cases, police were even reported to have participated in the forceful detention of the victims.
“This forbidden city, ruled by thugs with criminal records for murder and other serious offenses, was a test for our society, a test of whether all of Serbia could be turned into a space where journalists and those different-minded are persecuted and beaten. Our most important task in the coming year is to prevent this, and to prevent the establishment of such zones of violence in the heart of our capital and to protect anyone being targeted – be they a journalist, photographer, lawyer, teacher, or a homeless person… We must protect everyone through solidarity and resistance so that we, too, may remain protected,” said Veran Matic, Chairman of the ANEM Board and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, who also operates the 24/7 safety hotline for media workers (0800 100 115).
The full report, in Serbian, can be accessed at the following link:
Regular monthly monitoring of the Serbian media scene is conducted by an expert team from the Savovic Law Office, in cooperation with ANEM and with financial support from the European Union.
The Association of Independent Electronic Media is solely responsible for the content, which does not necessarily reflect the official views of the European Union.
Source: N1
