BIRN journalist: I was attacked by an SNS activist, police refuse to identify him and detain him

BIRN journalist Saša Dragojlo said that he was “attacked by an SNS activist near the Djeram market, but the police refused to identify him and take him into custody”.

“15 minutes ago, I was attacked by an SNS activist in Djeram market, while I was filming as a BIRN journalist an altercation between citizens protesting in front of an SNS stall. The police refused to identify him and detain him,” Dragojlo wrote on social network X next to a photo of the attacker.

Recall that Serbian Progressive Party activists had set up party stalls on the corner of Veljko Dugošević and Zvezdarske Jelke streets in the Belgrade municipality of Zvezdara, the same place they were on Saturday, but left due to the citizens’ outcry.

The SNS activists are being protected from the disgruntled citizens by the police, who have also been reinforced.

The same stalls appeared today in Vracar near Kalenic market, Cvetko and Djeram markets in Belgrade.

NUNS condemned the attack on Dragojlo.

The Independent Union of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) strongly condemns the physical attack on Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) journalist Sasa Dragojlo that took place today on King Alexander Boulevard near the Djeram market in Belgrade. According to the available information, footage and testimony of Sasa Dragojlo, the attack on the journalist was carried out by an activist of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) while he was on duty. When the journalist showed his identity card, the attacker became even more aggressive, the NUNS reported.

“Particularly worrying is the fact that the police, although present at the scene, reacted inappropriately, failing to identify or detain the attacker, despite the fact that the journalist Dragojlo showed them his press card. Such conduct by the police constitutes a serious breach of professional standards and the duty to protect citizens, especially journalists under orders,” NUNS said.

They point out that journalists enjoy enhanced criminal protection in the course of their work. Article 138(3) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia provides for stricter penalties for endangering the safety of persons performing tasks of public importance in the field of information.

“The competent prosecutor’s office has been informed about the incident and we demand an urgent and effective investigation, identification and prosecution of those responsible for the attack on our colleague Dragojlo. We also demand that the Ministry of the Interior conduct an internal audit of the work of the police officers who were present at the time of the incident and establish the reasons for their inappropriate conduct,” the NUNS said.

Attacks on journalists constitute an attack on the freedom of the media and the public’s right to information, they added.

“We therefore demand that all competent institutions ensure the safety of journalists and allow them to carry out their professional duties without fear of violence or intimidation,” the statement concludes./N1/