On 6 November 2024, representative of one political party in the Kovin, Serbia, Municipal Assembly, allegedly assaulted journalist Miloš Ljiljanić from Kovinske Info portal (https://kovinskeinfo.rs/). During a broadcast covering the Assembly’s session, that was 3 hours and 10 minutes long, Ljiljanić had posed a question to the Speaker, which she ignored. Following this, this politician allegedly aggressively approached the journalist from behind, shoulder-checked him, and attempted to grab his phone, twisting his arm in the process. No one from the present members of the local Assembly reacted to protected the journalist.
Kovinske Info said that they appreciate the overwhelming support from their readers and community following the incident involving journalist Miloš Ljiljanić. They want to assure everyone that they are actively addressing the situation and taking every step to inform the public and safeguard our team’s safety. This incident will not be overlooked, nor will they allow similar behavior to occur again. They remain committed to upholding press freedom and will continue to work diligently to bring truth and transparency to our reporting.
You can see the video of the attack here: https://www.facebook.com/61550301659683/videos/1598303234452039
This assault not only underscores the rising threats journalists face from public officials in Serbia, but also reflects a dangerous pattern of intimidation aimed at silencing critical reporting. The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns this attack and calls for accountability, emphasizing that violence against the press undermines democratic principles and public interest. SEEMO will be closely monitoring this case to ensure that justice is pursued and to highlight the ongoing concerns regarding the safety and protection of media workers.
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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