The Ministry of Defense, despite proper accreditation, prohibited Davor Lukač from entering the military exercise, stating that his name was not on the entry list. ANEM condemned this decision
To the journalist of “Vreme” Davor Lukac The Ministry of Defense, without explanation, prohibited to attend military exercise in the Pasuljanski meadows, even though he was properly accredited.
When he reached the gate of the barracks in Topcider, at the scheduled time of 08:30, the military policeman looked at the list and announced that he was not on the list and that he could not enter the parking lot, where his colleagues from the list were.
Lukac’s call to one of the officers whose name was listed as a contact person was also not answered.
The same situation happened on September 20 last year, when a military parade was held in front of the Palace of Serbia. First, he was told in Topcider that he was not on the list, no one answered the phones of the authorities in the Public Relations Directorate, knowing who was calling and why.
The problems did not end there, when he tried to enter as a citizen to observe the parade, a military policeman, among a large number of people, stopped him and told him that he could not enter, without further explanation.
Lukač claims that the Military Security Agency is behind everything, because how would an ordinary military policeman know who he is.
“It is obvious that I am at their illegal ‘measures’ and that their people were standing at the entrances, watching and signaling to the military policemen. Some of those who were also banned from entering the audience claim that the VBA members also had our pictures.”
“Now I will use all my legal rights to pursue justice to the end, because they broke several laws preventing me from working. In addition to the criminal complaint against the top of the Ministry of Defense, I will also complain to the Ombudsman, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, and I will also seek protection from journalistic organizations, due to the denial of the right to work and discrimination,” Lukač announces.
He adds that he does not rule out the possibility that he will be detained like Aleksandar Radić and Vojkan Kostić and says that they will certainly not respond to the call of the Military Police or the VBA, because they do not have the right to treat civilians.
“If I suspect that I am a ‘foreign spy’, then that is a matter for the BIA and I would really like them to call me. And I am also thinking that, like Aleksandar Vučić once, I will go to the BIA and ask for assurance that I am not a foreign spy and do not pose a danger to the state. If they could betray him, they can betray me.”
ANEM: “Inadmissible decision”
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) assessed today that the decision not to allow Vreme weekly journalist Davor Lukacs to report from the military exercise in Pasuljanski Livadi, despite the fact that he was properly accredited to cover that event, was unacceptable.
In a statement, ANEM stated that this is not the first time that Lukač has been banned from reporting on events organized by the Ministry of Defense, adding that the same thing happened last year, when a military parade was held in Belgrade.
The association pointed out that the role of the media in reporting on public events organized by state institutions is of key importance for a democratic society and for processes that concern all citizens and called on the Ministry of Defense to explain without delay why Lukacs was denied access to the event that it organized itself.
Insider’s photo editor Srđan Ilić was also denied accreditation for today’s event at the military airfield in Batajnica without explanation.
Source: Vreme
