Two days after the assault on an N1 television crew near Pionirski Park, in which a camera and tripod were broken while police officers watched the incident unfold, journalist Maja Nikolic and cameraman Ivan Pavlovic gave statements to the First Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office. Following the testimony, the Prosecutor’s Office ordered the Stari Grad Police Station to establish the identity of the perpetrator and obtain security camera footage covering the scene.
Journalist Maja Nikolic and cameraman Ivan Pavlovic, accompanied by their lawyers, were summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office on Saturday to provide accounts of the attack near the Serbian Parliament, where their personal and professional safety was jeopardized in plain sight of the police.
Attorney Mila Tomanovic called the circumstances deeply troubling: “It is especially concerning when an attack on an N1 journalist and crew is enabled by the police through their inaction, their failure to prevent it, and their refusal to assist in resistance. No one would dare attack a journalist in the presence of police if they knew the police would prevent or impede it.”
Although the determination of attacker’s identity is delayed, public suspicion suggests the individual may be known to have spent significant time in prison, including for murder. Veran Matic, a member of the Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, suggested that the subsequent “great interest” from some Ministry of Interior (MUP) members was not aimed at launching an efficient investigation but at “damage control.” Matic believes the assailant is a constant presence at Pionirski Park and likely instructs officers on their conduct.
Despite the initial police inaction, Rade Djuric, a lawyer for the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), expressed cautious optimism following the hearing. “Considering the way the incident occurred… I think this truly is a big step forward,” he said, viewing the prosecutor’s orders as a stern message to the police to collect more data.
The prosecutor’s orders specifically mandate the police to provide surveillance footage and establish the attacker’s identity. Djuric added that this sends a message to those “who think they can attack journalists and go unpunished.”
“The truth is before the prosecutor. Now all that is needed is the prosecutor’s courage to apply the law,” Attorney Tomanovic concluded, underscoring that the police, previously the weakest link, must now do their job to ensure justice for the attack.
Source: N1
