Two unions representing Vojvodina’s public broadcaster, Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV), sent an open letter to Serbia’s Internal Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic, asking from whom the police are protecting RTV, and on whose orders are they preventing employees from doing their jobs.
In the letter, forwarded to N1, the unions also asked as to why numerous police have been stationed outside the RTV building in Novi Sad for over a months, and at whose request and on what grounds has the Serbian Internal Affairs Ministry deployed police officers to remain in the premises of the provincial public broadcaster around the clock.
“Is the safety of employees at risk, and if so, from whom, and why haven’t employees been informed about this? On what legal basis can members of the Internal Affairs Ministry restrict the operations of television studios and assess when specific programs can or cannot be recorded? Under what circumstances is it permissible for police officers to be present in production areas that are crucial for broadcasting?” These are the questions raised by the unions.
“The public service has the obligation to adhere to the Law on Public Media Services and operate in accordance with the public interest. The answers to these questions are of fundamental public interest, as jeopardizing the safety of the public service’s operations or limiting the right to public information infringes on basic human rights,” the unions said.
They emphasized that protecting the public interest is also a responsibility of the Internal Affairs Ministry.
“We therefore expect you to act in accordance with the law and provide answers so we can inform citizens about why their public service is unsafe and whether their right to timely, objective, and comprehensive information is being compromised,” the unions wrote.
Source: N1
