The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) condemns the harassment and locking of journalists in the city assembly in Novi Sad.
As reported by the media, the persons who secured today’s session of the City of Novi Sad Assembly did not allow journalists to bring private bags into the building, if there were signs of protest in the form of a bloody hand. They thoroughly searched the journalists at the entrance.
“They didn’t just search our bags, they searched us like criminals,” N1 television reporter Ksenia Pavkov quoted a colleague who also followed the work of the Assembly today.
In addition, journalists have limited freedom of movement inside the building. After the journalists entered the press hall where the president of the Assembly of Novi Sad, Dina Vučinić, held a conference, the door was locked, and the journalists were told that they could not leave the hall until the conference was over, said Ksenija Pavkov, reporting from the city hall.
“The President of the Assembly, Dina Vučinić, explained that such strong security measures were necessary for the session to take place and that members of the parliament’s security searched the journalists,” said the N1 reporter.
The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia strongly condemns the treatment of journalists in Novi Sad today.
Humiliating journalists by searching through their things and denying them freedom of movement by locking and forcibly detaining them in the press room is absolutely unacceptable. The very act of being searched by persons who do not have the right to do so because they are not members of the Ministry of Interior and do not carry out authorized searches and searches of journalists is inadmissible and represents a violation of both the law and the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia. The authorities must not treat media workers as criminals, but allow them to carry out their work unhindered. Journalists have never threatened anyone’s safety, and the reason given by the President of the Assembly, Dina Vučinić, is completely unfounded.
We demand that the authorities in Novi Sad enable journalists to report safely and unhindered and that they publicly apologize for today’s treatment of journalists.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS),
Belgrade, February 24, 2025
