International organizations and domestic journalist associations point to the worst attacks on journalists in recent years during local elections on March 29. What are the competent prosecutor’s offices and the police doing with that subpoena
That identification cards, clear presentation and “press” features do not protect journalists od attack while reporting from the field was once again proven during election day in several local self-government in Serbia.
On the day of the local elections on March 29, 16 attacks and disruptions to the work of journalists were recorded in 10 local governments, the Association of Journalists of Serbia announced.
Journalists suffered physical injuries, some had their work equipment taken away, all despite the fact that they had identified themselves as journalists who were reporting.
Journalists’ associations are now announcing a rally in support of the attacked colleagues, and the competent prosecutors claim that investigations are ongoing.
Attacks in Bor
Photojournalist Zorica Popović’s camera was taken from her, she received several blows and, as she tells Vreme, she suffered the biggest trauma in her career while reporting from the local elections in Bor.
In the same place and at the same time, “Revolta” journalists Ivan Bjelić and Lazar Dinić were also injured.
The incident was reported to the police, who arrived at the scene, and the prosecutor’s office initiated proceedings.
Saša Milošević, the contact person of the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bor in connection with the protection of journalists, tells “Vreme” that he immediately instructed the acting inspector to receive criminal reports on the record from all injured journalists, which the inspector, Milošević claims, immediately did.
“I ordered further collection of all data and facts, as well as on-site investigation, collection of all medical documentation about their injuries, and now I am waiting for the police report. I will continue to act according to the mandatory instructions. They will be checked in all directions,” says Milošević in a telephone conversation.
Evidence was also sent by Ivan Bjelic, says the “Revolta” journalist for “Vreme”.
“I found information about the people who attacked us, I sent it all to the prosecutor’s office and now I’m waiting to see what will happen,” explains Bjelic.
He is part of the material and he also published a photo of the man he claims to be the attacker on social networks.
The red line has been crossed.
The lawyer of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia, Rade Đurić, says that the incidents that happened during the election day are among the most serious attacks on journalists in the past few years.
“I can call the events in Bor an attempted murder. This is a red line. They were just reporting, they were there as journalists, visibly marked,” says Đurić.
According to him, the prosecutor acted well and quickly formed the case.
“We are monitoring what they are doing. The fact that it was processed quickly does not mean that the investigation will continue to proceed quickly. We have also informed international organizations. This must be resolved,” Đurić told “Vreme”.
Procedures in Bajina Bašta
Several attacks on journalists took place in Baja Bašta as well.
Darko Gligorijević, a journalist from the “Zoomer” portal, received several blows while reporting on the local elections in that municipality, and pepper spray was sprayed in his eyes, all in an attempt to take away his phone, which he used to record the events in front of the bar, which was suspected to be the call center of the Serbian Progressive Party.
“I had an ID, I shouted that I was a journalist, I received several punches and pepper spray in my eyes. I was at the police station to report the case, and I received an invitation to give a statement at the prosecutor’s office in Užice on April 1,” Gligorijević told Vreme.
The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Užice informs “Vreme” that in connection with the attack on journalists, on the order of the acting public prosecutor in the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Užice – the contact point for the safety of journalists, the Police Station in Bajina Bašta filed two criminal charges against the currently unknown perpetrators for the crime of violent behavior to the detriment of journalists Miroslav Pantović, Darko Gligorijević and Ivana Marsenić.
“On March 30, 2026, the acting public prosecutor already examined the journalist Ivana Marsenić as a victim-witness in the pre-investigation procedure, while the interrogation of journalists Miroslav Pantović and Darko Gligorijević as witnesses of the victims is scheduled for April 1, 2026,” the answer reads.
Also, as part of the pre-investigation procedure, a request to collect the necessary information was submitted to the Police Station in Bajina Bašta with an order to take certain measures and actions in order to discover the perpetrators of the criminal acts in question, says the response of the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Užice.
OSCE: An unprecedented level of violence and intimidation of journalists
Representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for media freedom Jan Bratu rated it that there was an “unprecedented level of violence and intimidation of journalists” at the local elections in Serbia on Sunday and called on the Serbian authorities to condemn it “publicly and unequivocally”.
He wrote to Bratu on platform X that “the elections in ten municipalities of Serbia were marked by numerous documented obstructions and physical attacks on journalists” and called on Serbian law enforcement authorities and the prosecution to protect the freedom of the media and the safety of journalists and to prosecute the perpetrators of attacks and intimidation.
“The safety of journalists is an obligation and responsibility of the state,” he pointed out to Brat and underlined that “differences in political views do not justify violence and intimidation.”
The state’s obligation to protect journalists
In the announcement, he reminded Bratu of Serbia’s obligation to respect the Decision of the Ministerial Council of the OSCE no. 3/18, adopted in 2108 in Milan on the safety of journalists, which is considered a turning point because it requires OSCE participating states to prevent, investigate and prosecute crimes against journalists.
That decision confirms that journalists, media actors and all others who contribute to public discourse should be protected from threats and violence and calls on states to investigate crimes against journalists and hold perpetrators accountable.
Support group
Several journalist associations will organize on Wednesday, April 1 from 10:30 a.m. near the building of the Presidency of Serbia rally in support of attacked journalists.
View this post on Instagram
“Through this gathering, we want to show solidarity with colleagues who were attacked that day, who work in the public interest every day, but also to point out the increasingly difficult and dangerous position of journalists in the field. For the last year and a half, we have witnessed the continuous growth of pressure, threats, intimidation and physical attacks on journalists and media workers. What happened during the election day represents the culmination of that process, the moment in which some journalists were exposed to direct danger to their lives,” the invitation to the meeting states.
Source: Vreme
