The news portal Mašina.rs (https://www.masina.rs/) reported that their co-editor, Marko Miletić, was allegedly assaulted in Zemun Polje (part of Belgrade), Serbia on 2 June 2024 during the local election in front of the Serbian Progressive Party (Srpska Napredna Stranka – SNS) office located on Dušan Korčagin Street. According to Miletić, he received information about alleged irregularities occurring at the polling station in Zemun Polje and decided to investigate.
At the scene, a group of individuals rushed out aggressively towards both the opposition activists present and Miletić. He started recording, but a woman approached him, insisting he had no right to film. Despite his explanations that he was a journalist with the right and duty to document what was happening, she persisted, and two other men allegedly also began to chase him, turning the situation into a pursuit.
You can see the video of the incident here: https://x.com/MasinaRS/status/1797303027801436254
The attack on Miletić highlights the escalating tensions surrounding election integrity in Serbia. As Miletić attempted to document potential election fraud, he faced threats and intimidation. The incident raises significant concerns about the safety of journalists during elections and the transparency of the electoral process.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), condemns the attack on journalist Marko Miletić while he was performing his duty to report. Such aggressive behavior towards journalists is unacceptable and undermines the principles of free press and democracy. SEEMO calls the authorities for immediate and thorough investigations into this incident and urges authorities to ensure the safety and protection of all journalists, allowing them to carry out their work without fear of violence or intimidation. The right to report freely and safely is fundamental to the integrity of our democratic processes.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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