Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns the behavior of the member of the Serbian Progressive Party in the Kovin Municipal Assembly, Dragan Šljivovački, who, during the session of the Kovin Municipal Assembly on November 6, physically assaulted Kovinske Info journalist Miloš Ljiljanić. At the same time, we express our concern about the increasingly frequent inappropriate behavior of politicians towards journalists across the country.
At the moment when Ljiljanić was waiting for an answer from the President of the Assembly Sanja Petrović, who apparently ignored the question, Šljivovački approached Ljiljanić from behind and hit him with his shoulder and pushed him away. The councilor then tried to snatch the mobile phone from the journalist’s hand, twisting his arm in the process. No one, not even the President of the Assembly, reacted. On that day, Miloš Ljiljanić, on his journalistic assignment, broadcast the entire course of the parliamentary session via mobile phone, lasting over three hours.
Kovinske believes that with this act, Šljivovački wanted to scare the journalist, to show him “who is the boss and what can happen to him”.
Ljiljanić reported this case to the police and IJAS expects the Prosecution to initiate proceedings and sanction Sljivovački, to send a message that this behavior of politicians towards journalists is unacceptable and that there must be accountability for what has been done. Processing and solving this case is important because practice has shown that the irresponsible and violent behavior of politicians and public officials towards journalists, as well as their rhetoric, encourage individuals to later threaten the media and media workers.
Every attack on a journalist is an attack on the public interest, democracy, and the rights of all citizens.
Precisely because of this frequent behavior of politicians, IJAS created a GUIDE FOR POLITICIANS – HOW TO ANSWER MEDIA QUESTIONS.
