25. 02. 2008

INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST' ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA AND INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS OF VOJVODINA CONDEMN THE ATTACKS

BELGRADE, February 25, 2008 (Beta) – The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia and the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina have condemned yesterday's attacks on journalists.

In a joint announcement, the two associations state that on Sunday, February 17 as well as yesterday, journalists were physically endangered and prevented from doing their job, while the protesters chanted: "Kill the journalists".

"Provocative nationalist statements and tolerant attitude of certain state officials toward the perpetrators have incited the organized groups to physically endanger journalists, while the authorities completely failed to protect journalists reporting from high-risk protests", says the associations' announcement.

The journalistic associations state that the secretary general of the Serbian Radical Party, Aleksandar Vucic, accused the media of "unpatriotic reporting" which allegedly instigated the violence, invoking in this way the "evil spirit of the 1998 Law on Information which he created".

The associations point out that state institutions are obliged to inform the public truthfully, regardless of whether someone might dislike the truth.

"An atmosphere has been created in which journalists were a preferable target, just like shops and restaurants. We demand the authorities to protect journalists and create a tolerable atmosphere necessary for our work", says the announcement.

During the riots on Thursday evening in Belgrade, during which embassies of the USA and Croatia were set on fire and few stores demolished, several journalists and photographers were attacked, while an attack was attempted at the RTV B92 building.
Dutch photographer from the NRC, Handelsblad Dirk Jan Viser, was injured in riots near the USA embassy. With three broken ribs, Viser was hospitalized in the Trauma Center. He was visited Thursday evening, on behalf of the Government of Serbia, by the assistant minister of culture for the media, Dragan Janjic.

Two journalists of the English-language Russian TV, "Russia Today", were also beaten during riots in front of the American Embassy. Producer, Andrey Fyodorov, and operator, Andrey Pavlov, were injured.

Groups of rioters also tried to attack the RTV B92's building, but strong police forces prevented them. No major incident occurred. Reporting crew of Radio-Television Serbia was attacked in front of the building of the National Parliament, where the protest "Kosovo Is Serbia" was held.